Mosskit's Heartbeat
by BrightfurOfThunderClan
Summary: Mosskit, daughter of Bluestar and Oakheart, had died on a snowy night in leaf-bare. However, thanks to her loving kin, she is able to wake from the darkness of death and live the life she had always wanted. But will it be worth it?
1. Prologue

"Look what you've done!"

A black-striped she-cat bowled a pale-gray she-cat over. The pale-gray cat let out a hiss as she hit the ground.

"What are you talking about?" she spat, "I've done nothing!"

"Precisely!" the striped cat's silver-gray fur was bristling, "You could've stopped your son, but you didn't. Now look what's happened!"

"Do you really think I wanted this to happen, Moonflower?" the pale-gray she-cat retorted, rising to her paws, "Kits can be stubborn."

"They aren't kits anymore!"

"True. But in our hearts, as mothers, they always will be. Besides, I know you tried to stop you're daughter, but would she listen? No!"

"Shut up!" Moonflower hissed, "_Your_ son sent _my _daughter to the nursery! Tell me, Rainflower, how does that make you feel?"

"I disapprove of it, actually," Rainflower answered, "But who are we to get into the way of destiny? We're only dead cats. We may watch over Clanmates, but we don't rule over them. Not in the fullest extent, anyway."

"It wasn't Bluefur's destiny to rear halfClan kits!" Moonflower retorted, "She was supposed to become Sunstar's successor. To blaze through the forest like fire."

"Oh, you actually believe your brother's frog-brained prophecies?" Rainflower snorted, "It was one of his crazy omens that killed you, remember?"

"I haven't forgotten," Moonflower rasped, "but now that I'm in StarClan, I know that he is right about Bluefur. But she's a queen. She won't be able to become deputy for six more moons. And I don't think Tawnyspots can remain deputy for much longer, he's far too sick. If Bluefur doesn't become deputy then who, do you think, will?"

Rainflower didn't answer.

"_Thistleclaw_," Moonflower spat the name of the spiky gray-and-white tom with immense hatred, "If Sunstar makes him deputy it will be the death of ThunderClan!"

"It doesn't concern me," Rainflower grunted indifferently, "The fate of ThunderClan means nothing to me. If ThunderClan is gone, then my Clan won't have to fight over Sunningrocks with anybody."

"Is that what you think of us?" Moonflower snarled, growing enraged, "Thieves of your precious Sunningrocks? There are more important things than that, you know. This could be the fate of the Clans, we're talking about. If Thistleclaw takes power, he'll drench everything we've come to love in blood. Doesn't that mean a thing to you, Rainflower?"

"It doesn't matter," the pale-gray RiverClan cat meowed, "A cat like him doesn't deserve authority like that."

"We know that," Moonflower growled, "but does Sunstar?"

Rainflower didn't reply. She just narrowed her dark-blue eyes.

"Every Clan is doomed, and it's because of your foolishness!"

"_My_ foolishness?" Rainflower's rage was finally unleashed, "You're calling _me_ the fool, Moonflower? It's Bluefur and Oakheart who broke the warrior code, not us!"

"You're the fool because you didn't try to stop your kit, unlike me!"

"Oh, and you're so noble, are you?"

"At least I tried to stop all this!"

"Nobody can stop everything."

Yowling, Moonflower lunged for Rainflower. The two cats broke into a screeching knot of pale and striped gray fur. Their eyes flashed among the knot, like shards of blue ice and flickers of orange flame.

Finally, the knot broke apart in a flash of scarlet. The two she-cats, though injured, stood their ground. The hackles were raised and their lips were curled in snarls. Their growls shook the air like thunder.

Moonflower's cheek glistened with blood where it had been scratched. Cuts streaked her flank, and blood pooled in a gash on her shoulder.

Rainflower's slender tail was flecked with red where Moonflower had nipped it. Blood trickled out of a bite gash on her foreleg, and a scratch above her eye stung her face.

The two were about to leap into a fight, when…

"Stop! Stop fighting!"

Like a flash of white light, a snowy she-cat appeared between the two quarreling gray cats. Her blue eyes glinted in anger and defiance. "Is this what it's come to?" she growled, "Meaningless bloodshed?"

"So you came, Snowfur?" Rainflower quiered.

"Of course I did!" Snowfur hissed, "Do you think I would really let you two end your spirit lives over all this?"

"This isn't your business, Snowfur," Moonflower began gently.

"Of course it is!" Snowfur retorted, "The coming kits are _my_ sister's kits. _My_ nieces and nephews. _My_ kin."

Moonflower reluctantly nodding in agreement. Rainflower just scowled.

"I will not let any cat throw themselves into stupid, pointless fights just because of these unborn kits and their parents," Snowfur continued.

"I respect your spirit, Snowfur," Moonflower murmured to her daughter, "but I'm afraid it's no use."

"W-What do you mean?" the white warrior stuttered.

"I'm afraid one of those kits will not make it to adulthood."

Snowfur's mouth dropped open. "N…N-No! Y-You can't be right! You just can't be! What makes you think this?"

"Pure intuition," Moonflower replied.

"And that's it?" Snowfur growled, "These kits aren't even born yet, and you just jump to conclusions about their fate? That's ridiculous!"

"Snowfur-" Moonflower began.

"I won't believe it!" Snowfur yowled, storming away, "I'll make sure these kits survive! No matter what you say!"


	2. The Snowy Night

An icy blast whipped the forest, making the trees quiver. Clouds covered the moon, leaving the landscape darker than normal.

Mosskit had to squint her eyes from the blinding sleet. She tried to move, but she felt like she was half-frozen. Her gray-and-white paws felt like stone.

She gazed ahead, until finally she spotted the blue-gray pelt, fleck white with snow, ahead of her. "Bluefur!" she called to the cat, "It's cold! Can we go home now?"

The cat turned her head and faced Mosskit. "No," she replied, "We have to get to Sunningrocks if we want to win."

"I don't wanna win anymore!" Mosskit cried, "I wanna go home!"

"I'm sorry," Bluefur murmured, "But we have to keep going."

_Why?_

Mosskit opened her mouth to protest, but Bluefur turned her head and continued forward. Concerned, Mosskit looked over her shoulder, seeking out her littermates, Mistykit and Stonekit.

There they were; half a tail-length away from her. Mistykit's blue-gray body was shivering, and her teeth clattered. Stonekit's dark-gray tail sagged, and he looked like he was about to fall over.

Turning around, Mosskit ran to her brother's and sister's sides, fluffing up her soft pelt and pressing against them. Just because she was smaller than them didn't mean that she couldn't keep them warm.

"It's okay," she murmured, "We're going to be okay."

Mistykit nodded hesitantly, pressing closer to Mosskit, but Stonekit didn't reply. The dark-gray kit just stared blankly ahead of him, his pawsteps slow and weak, like he just woke up from a light sleep.

"Stay close," Mosskit mewed, before stepping in time with her littermates, making sure their pelts brushed her gray-patched one.

Suddenly, Stonekit let out a moan. The biggest of the kits flopped into the snow, his tiny flanks heaving.

"Stonekit!" Mistykit squeaked.

Mosskit nudged her brother. "Stonekit? Are you okay?"

_Please let him be okay!_

Stonekit opened his eyes, their green depths dull with weakness, yet bright with fear. "I-It's s-so hard to m-move," he stammered from the cold, "I th-think m-my paws are f-frozen."

"Kits!" Bluefur called over the wind, "Why did you stop?" The gray queen halted with fear as her gaze rested on the threesome. "Stonekit!" she ran over to her son's side, giving him some swift licks.

"B-Bluefur," Stonekit mewled pitifully, "I'm s-so c-cold."

"Bluefur, Stonekit needs to get someplace warm," Mistykit mewed, "We have to get back to camp."

"No," Bluefur rasped, "We can't. We have to get to Sunningrocks."

"Why?" Mistykit demanded, "What's so great about Sunningrocks?"

Bluefur's ice-blue gaze darkened. "You wouldn't understand," she murmured vaguely.

"Well, at least let us rest!" Mistykit begged.

Bluefur sighed. "All right, Mistykit. I'll find us a place to rest for a while." She picked up Stonekit by his scruff.

Mosskit wrapped her tail around Mistykit, hoping to keep her warm, as they followed their mother. She looked at her sister. "I hope we get to go home soon."

Her sister didn't reply. She just stared ahead, her gaze dark with worry.

_We better go home soon, or we'll all be frozen by morning._

Finally, Bluefur halted in front of a bush. "Here's fine," she meowed around Stonekit's scruff. She squeezed inside and beckoned her daughter with her silver-tipped tail.

Reluctantly, with Mistykit trudging beside her, the two young she-kits followed their mother into the bush.

Mosskit felt relief as she entered the shelter. Suddenly growing weak, she flopped over onto the ground. Mistykit curled up beside her. Bluefur placed Stonekit, who was already asleep, on the ground next to his sisters.

For once in this dreadful night, Mosskit felt safe. All of a sudden, her mind seemed to fuzz, and a horrible ringing echoed in her ears. Despite that, however, she felt icily calm, as if she didn't have enough energy to care.

Suddenly, it became hard to breath. Every shallow breath felt like trudging through the snowdrifts, only harder.

She looked for her mother, but Bluefur wasn't around. Finally she spotted her thick, blue fur through the branches of the bush. She was talking to someone, but Mosskit couldn't tell who.

More buzzing entered Mosskit's head. She felt she was caught in a current, bobbing limply up-and-down.

Mistykit looked at her, worrying filling her ice-blue gaze. "Are you all right?" she mewed, "You're breathing's really raspy, and your eyes are glazed."

"Y-Yeah," Mosskit replied weakly, her voice caught in throat, "I'll be…I'm…f-fine."

The worry didn't leave her sister's eyes. The blue-gray pressed herself against Mosskit, trying to keep her comfortable. Finally, her breathing slowed and her flanks rose and fell as she drifted into sleep.

Suddenly, Mosskit's chest tightened, and her heart pounded harder and faster than it ever had before. The bobbing grew stronger. Her mind seemed to drift away, then return, as if a part of her was leaving her body.

She tried to shift, but she couldn't find the strength to move her paws. At first, fear enveloped her, but the fear was replaced by peace.

Strange, icy peace.

Then Mosskit went limp. Her eyes closed. She let out a long sigh as her mind finally drifted away, as though carried by the wind, into still blackness.


	3. Sweet Salvation

"Mosskit. Mosskit, wake up." a calm voice whispered in Mosskit's ear.

Mosskit opened her eyes. She looked around, confusion clouding her mind. Warmth streamed onto her moss-soft fur. There was no snow to be seen. Grass, not shriveled and brown, but sturdy and green as Stonekit's eyes, grew underneath her.

Grass-green things that Mosskit had never seen before grew onto the branches of trees. A bright-red cardinal perched on a limb, its song healthy and strong, not mellow and hungry like what she had heard.

_What is this place?_

"Hello, dear."

Mosskit looked up. Standing above her was a she-cat. Her eyes were as blue as the sky, and starlight sparkled on her long, snow-white fur.

"Where am I?" she asked the stranger, "Where's Bluefur? And my littermates?"

The starry cat touched her tail tip to Mosskit's flank affectionately. "They're fine. They're curled up under that bush where you left them."

"Where I left them?" Mosskit echoed, "When did I leave? And where did I come to?"

"Calm, little one," the cat soothed, at that moment, Mosskit saw the defeated look in her eyes, "I'm sorry, but the cold of the snowstorm got the best of you."

Mosskit narrowed her eyes in thought. Then it dawned on her.

_But that means…_

"I'm dead?"

The snowy cat shook her head. "No, not exactly. Your heart has stopped beating, but part of your mind is still working."

Mosskit gazed up, shocked, at the stranger. With a shaky paw, she pressed her chest.

_I don't feel anything!_

"This is your soul, Mosskit," the cat explained, "You don't need your heart to keep you alive."

"Then are you a StarClan warrior?"

The she-cat nodded.

"When will I officially be dead?"

The white cat flicked her tail to the tree line behind her. "Once we pass through those trees, you'll be an official member of StarClan." She rose to her paws. "Speaking of that, we should be on our way."

"No!" Mosskit cried, digging her claws into the ground, "I don't wanna die! I…I want to be a Clan leader."

The cat blinked. "Clan leader?"

"Yes!" Mosskit mewled, "I've always wanted to be a leader! But my littermates treated it as a joke. Probably because I'm the smallest."

"Is that what you want?" the cat asked, "You want to go back to the bitter cold?"

"Oh, forget that stupid cold!" Mosskit hissed, "If I die, my dream'll never come true!"

"You might not like what you will see when you return, little one," the cat pressed.

"I don't care!" Mosskit cried, "I don't want to join StarClan. Not yet."

The she-cat closed her eyes. Mosskit shrunk into the grass, suddenly missing the chilly snow.

_I want to go home._

"All right."

Mosskit looked at her. "W-What?"

"I'll send you back."

"R-Really?"

The she-cat made a weak smile. "Yes. I made a promise, long before you and your littermates were born, that I would watch over you three, and make sure you lived to be great warriors. The other StarClan cats told me I was crazy, because they knew what would happen. To you, I mean. But I didn't believe them. I felt so hopeless when I watched you come here, but that hope's returning. Like I said, I made a promise, and I won't deny to that. I'm not planning on breaking it for a long time."

"But why did you make a promise?" Mosskit asked her, "What's so special about me and my littermates?"

The white cat leaned close. Her breath stirred Mosskit's gray-and-white fur as she whispered. "Because we have more in common than you think."

Before Mosskit could reply, the white cat touched her muzzle to her forehead. A powerful energy surged through her, filling her with a fiery strength from nose to tail-tip.

Like a bolt of lightning, Mosskit fell back into darkness as the awakening energy exploded through her body.

"Mosskit! Mosskit, please wake up! Please!"

"Bluefur?" Mosskit whispered.

"M-Mosskit?"

Mosskit opened her eyes.

Bluefur was staring at her, her ice-blue eyes misty. She had wrapped her paws around Mosskit's body, cradling her. Her fur felt wet, as though she had received several licks while she was unconscious.

Bluefur held her closer. "Oh, Mosskit, thank StarClan. I was so worried. I thought…I thought I lost you," she whispered, her voice cracking.

Mosskit gave her mother's chest fur a few comforting licks. "It's all right. I'm okay now. You'll never lose me." She looked up at Bluefur. The gray she-cat's gaze had darkened, and her eyes were filled with sorrow and regret. Mosskit blinked up at her. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," Bluefur rasped in reply, "Come on. Wake up your littermates. It's time we got to Sunningrocks."


	4. Seperation

Mosskit watched as her littermates lifted their heads, their eyes glazed and sleepy.

"We have to keep moving," Bluefur told her kits.

"But I was just getting warm," Mistykit yawned.

"You'll be even warmer soon," Bluefur murmured.

"Where are we going?" Stonekit demanded.

"I'm taking you to meet your father," Bluefur replied.

Stonekit looked confused. "You mean Thrushpelt? Runningkit told me that's who White-eye said our father was."

"Your _real_ father. Oakheart. From RiverClan."

Mosskit stared at her mother.

_How can we have a father in RiverClan, when our mother's from ThunderClan?_

"From _RiverClan_?" Stonekit squeaked, echoing Mosskit's thoughts.

"Hurry up," Bluefur meowed, pushing them outside.

Mosskit thought for a moment. She had heard from the warriors that Sunningrocks was at the river that bordered ThunderClan and RiverClan territory. Bluefur had said that their father, Oakheart, was from RiverClan.

_She's taking us to Sunningrocks to meet him. Then we'll go back to camp. Now I understand!_

Snow still fell from the sky, but it was more of an elegant dance, instead of a raging fiasco. The storm was over.

Mosskit padded next to her littermates, her claws itching with excitement. So many questions buzzed in her head.

What did her father look like?

Would he like Mistykit and Stonekit?

Would he like her?

After a short while, Stonekit tripped, and bumped his nose onto the ground. Mosskit stifled a purr of amusement.

"Ow!" her brother yowled, "This ground is _hard_!"

Mosskit rubbed the ground with her paw. He was right. The soft snow had been replaced with hard rock. She looked to her side. A huge pile of rocks towered before them.

_So that's Sunningrocks. Doesn't look as special as the warriors said they were. Just looks like a pile of boulders._

Suddenly, a new, fishy smell slithered onto Mosskit's scent glands. She wrinkled her nose.

_What is _that_?_

She turned around. Standing not far from them was a tomcat. His fur was sleek and reddish-brown.

_Is that him?_

His eyes were grass-green. She cast a glance at her brother.

_Just like his._

She looked at Bluefur and then Mistykit. The two she-cats looked exactly alike. Their fur color was the same, and so was their eye color. Blue-gray and ice-blue.

Mosskit's tail drooped. She looked nothing like either of her kin. Then an image of the StarClan cat she had met flashed in her mind.

Her fur was white, like Mosskit's, and her ear tips were the exact same shade of gray as Mosskit's patches. And her eyes…they were a brilliant blue, just like Mosskit's.

That cat had also told her that they had more in common than she thought.

Then it dawned on her.

_She must've been my kin!_

She hadn't realized that Oakheart had padded up to them. His eyes were glowing with love and pride. Mosskit beamed back at him. She was about to introduce herself, when he had turned his gaze to Bluefur.

"Are they okay?" he asked her.

Bluefur nodded, her eyes locked onto her litter. "This is Stonekit," she touched her nose to each kit as she told him their names, "This is Mistykit. And this is Mosskit." Confusion filled Mosskit as her mother began to back away. "Please take care of them."

_What?_

She stared up at her, wide-eyed. What in StarClan's name was she talking about? "Bluefur?" she mewed, "What are you-"

"I'll carry the small one." Oakheart picked her up by her scruff. Mosskit winced. She didn't want Oakheart to carry her. She wanted to go with Bluefur.

But her mother had started to walk away.

_Stop. Stop! Please…_

Mistykit and Stonekit cried out to her.

"Bluefur, come back!"

"Where are you going?"

"Are you coming back to get us?"

Suddenly, Bluefur broke into a run, as if she couldn't bear to hear Mistykit's and Stonekit's cries.

"Bluefur…?" Mosskit rasped, "_Bluefur!_"

Pain seared Mosskit's heart as Bluefur crashed into the snow-capped bushes.

"What's going on?" Mistykit mewled.

"What's gonna happen to us?" Stonekit wailed.

Oakheart silenced them with a flick of his slender tail. "Hush, little ones. Stay close, and be sure to stay on those stepping-stones."

"Where are we going?" Stonekit asked him.

"To RiverClan. To your new home."

"But I don't wanna go to RiverClan!" Mosskit protested, "I want Bluefur!"

Oakheart seemed to ignore her. He stepped onto the stepping-stones, not fazed at all by the churning water of the river. Tails drooping, Mistykit and Stonekit followed.

Mosskit felt like she was going to be sick. Why had Bluefur given them up? Didn't she love them?

She didn't bother to pay any attention to the new territory; she was too tired and too sorrowful. It looked like her littermates were, too.

Finally, the cats arrived at an island. Oakheart and the kits passed through the entrance. The bracken-colored tom and his kits entered a large clump of bushes.

Agonizing memories filled Mosskit as her belly brushed moss bedding. It reminded her too much of her old nest, back in ThunderClan.

Stonekit and Mistykit flopped down beside her, instantly falling asleep.

Mosskit only half-heard the conversation that flitted above her head.

"Oakheart? What have you got there?"

"Kits, Graypool. Will you take them? They need a mother to look after them."

"But…Whose kits are they? They're not RiverClan's. Where did you get them?"

"I found them in the forest. They're lucky a fox didn't find them first."

"In the forest? Oakheart, don't talk to me as if I'm mouse-brained. What cat would abandon her kits, especially in this weather?"

_Bluefur._ Mosskit winced.

"Rouges, maybe, or Twolegs. How would I know?"

_Because you were there, you liar!_

"Graypool, please…your other kits died, and these three will die too, unless you help them."

"I have plenty of milk. Of course I'll help them."

Mosskit heard Oakheart sigh as the queen, Graypool, brushed her and littermates to the curve of her belly. The scent of her milk must have woken Mistykit and Stonekit, because the two kits pressed their muzzles to her belly and began to suckle.

Mosskit didn't suckle. Her belly felt hollow, but not with hunger.

Despite the tiredness that clung to her paws, she got up, and headed for the entrance, where Oakheart had just disappeared through. She followed her father outside.

"Oakheart?" she mewed. The brown warrior turned to her. "When's Bluefur coming back?" she asked, lowering her voice in a whisper.

Oakheart looked down at his paws.

Pain clamped in Mosskit's chest. "She isn't, is she?"

Oakheart didn't reply. He didn't have to. Crying, Mosskit darted back into the nursery and flopped down into Graypool's nest, stuffing her face in the moss.

The words of the StarClan warrior echoed in her head, _"You might not like what you see when you return, little one."_

Now she understood what she had meant.

Suddenly, a feminine voice yowled excitedly, "Kits! It's a gift from StarClan! A real miracle!"

_Where's the miracle? All I see is a nightmare._


	5. Demanding The Truth

Half a moon had passed since Mosskit and her littermates had come to RiverClan. Mistykit and Stonekit were back to their usual, obnoxious play. Mosskit couldn't bother to join them. She was still sore with grief of being separated from her mother.

Willowbreeze lay beside her, grooming her silver-gray fur. The tabby warrior was kitsitting Mosskit and her littermates while Graypool took a well-earned nap.

Mosskit sighed. Even though she liked Willowbreeze, she could help but picture herself being beside Bluefur. But the memories were hollow, and left her in deeper pain.

She felt Willowbreeze's tail-tip touch her shoulder. "Is there something wrong, little one?" she asked.

"It's nothing," Mosskit grumbled.

"You seem pretty upset about nothing."

_Just don't talk about it. I'm not in the mood._

"Oh, I get it," Willowbreeze murmured, "You miss your old home, don't you?"

Mosskit looked up at. "How did you…?"

"Oh, believe me, I know exactly how you feel," Willowbreeze purred, "Did I tell you that I'm halfClan?" Mosskit shook her head. "In that case, would you like to hear my story?"

"Story?" Mosskit squeaked, perking a little, "Of course I would!"

"Okay," Willowbreeze purred, "As you know, my mother is Fallowtail, but my father is Reedfeather of WindClan. Graypool and I had no idea we had mixed heritage; we thought we were full-blood RiverClan. We were wrong. One night, Reedfeather came to the RiverClan camp and requested us. He wanted to take us to be raised in his Clan."

"Well, what did you do?" Mosskit demanded.

"We were shocked, that's for sure," she continued, wincing at the memory, "We didn't know what to do. Fallowtail eventually let him take us. She thought that this would be her punishment for breaking the Warrior Code and taking on a mate from another Clan."

_But my parents are from different Clans. My birth was against the Warrior Code!_

"So, for a short while, Graypool were in WindClan. We weren't too pleased. We missed Fallowtail so much, and at times, we thought she had abandoned us."

_I know that feeling…_

"But we knew that she would never do that. We knew that, no matter what, our mother loved us, and always will." Willowbreeze cast a warm glance at the elders' den, where her mother would be enjoying a midday snooze.

"You really thought that?" Mosskit mewed, "You didn't think that your mother hated you, and didn't want you anymore?"

"Of course not," Willowbreeze replied, "Fallowtail always loved us, and I'm sure your mother still loves you and Mistykit and Stonekit."

_Does she?_

Mosskit had to know. She had to know why Bluefur had given them up, and if she really did still love them. She just had to.

She stood up. "Thanks for telling me the story, Willowbreeze," Mosskit mewed, "I really appreciate it." Waving her tail in farewell, she headed for the back of the nursery, where she and her littermates would always play.

The two gray kits were tussling on the frosty ground. Mistykit was standing on top of Stonekit, pressing her forepaws on his head. The dark-gray tom kit mewled in protest.

"Hey!" Mosskit hissed, "Hey, you two!"

Mistykit looked at her. "Mosskit? What's up?"

Stonekit crawled out from under his sister. "Yeah, what?"

"I have to know why Bluefur gave us up," Mosskit whispered.

Stonekit let out a contemptuous snort. "Isn't it obvious? She doesn't love us, and doesn't want to deal with us anymore."

"No!" Mosskit hissed, "That can't be it! Maybe StarClan told her that we have a great destiny, here in RiverClan? Or maybe ThunderClan was in danger of something, and she had to return to her warrior duties to stop it?"

Mistykit flicked her tail. "Ha! Yeah, right. I'll believe that when I see it."

"Come on," Mosskit begged her littermates, "I'm sure you want to know as much as I do. I'm going to find out, even if you two don't want to. But if you want to know, then don't hesitate to come."

Mistykit flashed a glance at Stonekit, and then nodded her head at Mosskit. "You're right, Mosskit. I do want to know. It just doesn't make any sense that Bluefur would just give us up." She padded to Mosskit's side. "I'm with you."

Stonekit flicked his ears. "You're kidding, right? Mosskit's talking feathers. How do you know that when we, somehow, try to ask Bluefur, we won't grab the attention of a patrol?"

"We'll be fine," Mosskit insisted, "We'll go to the river, seek out Bluefur, ask her why we had to go to RiverClan, then come back to camp. It'd be like we never left."

"Come on, Stonekit," Mistykit mewed, her voice sparking with mischief, "You afraid a fish with pop out and gobble you?"

"Of course not!" Stonekit snapped, "But if you want me to come, then fine, I'll come. I still think you two are out of your minds, though."

Mosskit sat next to her littermates, hiding behind some reeds. The weather had grown slightly warmer, so the river had thawed, and churned in front of them.

Pain ached Mosskit's heart as she gazed at the other side. Somewhere in those trees, was the ThunderClan camp, and the camp, was the nursery, where she had lived for the first half-moon of her life.

Suddenly, the bushes of the ThunderClan side rustled. Mosskit held her breath. She wanted to squeal with joy when she saw who appeared.

_Bluefur!_

"It's her!" Mistykit whispered.

"Shh!" Stonekit hissed, "We have to be sure she's alone."

Mosskit stared at her mother. It looked like no one was with her. She filled with hope as she watched her gaze at RiverClan's side of the river. The hope was accompanied by sympathy. There was more pain in her ice-blue eyes than Mosskit could ever believe.

"My kits," she heard her murmur, "I'm so sorry I had to give you up. I can't be what I want to be. I…you just wouldn't understand. I just want you to know that I love you three so much, and I've been proud to be your mother. I wish…I wish I could say that to your faces."

"You can!" without thinking, Mosskit jumped out from the reeds and ran to the riverbank.

"Mosskit, what're you doing?" Mistykit hissed, "Get back here!"

Mosskit gazed up at Bluefur, waiting for a warm purr, or for her to run across the stepping-stones and pick up. Her mother just stared at her. "Mosskit…how…"

"I had to come," Mosskit mewed, "_We_ had to come."

"We?"

"Yes, we," as if on cue, Stonekit and Mistykit crawled out from the reeds, "We want to know the truth."

"The…truth?" Bluefur's voice sounded like it was caught in her throat.

"Yes. Why did you give us up? Why did you give us to Oakheart? Why do we have to live in RiverClan and not ThunderClan?"

"You just wouldn't understand," Bluefur whispered, her eyes shadowed, "Now, go. Please. You can't let any ThunderClan cat see you."

"Why not?" Mistykit mewed, "ThunderClan must be worried sick about us."

"They're not," Bluefur replied, "I…they think you're all dead."

_They think we're what?_

"Why would they think that?" Stonekit demanded.

"Because…" Bluefur hesitated, "Because I told them that desperate fox or badger broke a hole through the nursery and stole you."

"Why would you-"

"I've had enough!" Bluefur hissed, "Just go! Now! I didn't want to do any of this, but I…"

"Bluefur…" Mosskit mewed.

"Just go," Bluefur rasped.

Defiance pulsed through Mosskit. She bounded onto a stepping-stone.

Bluefur looked at her. "Mosskit, please."

Another.

"Go back to RiverClan."

And another.

"Go! Get out of here!"

Mosskit kept bounding. "I'm not leaving until you tell us. Why did you give us up? Why, Bluefur?"

Bluefur didn't answer.

_Fine. I'll just keep bounding closer to her._

"Tell us, Bluefur!"

Still no answer.

"Why did you abandon us?"

Suddenly, as Mosskit's paws hit a stone, they slipped out from under her. Fear smashed through Mosskit as she fell into the water.

"No!" she heard Bluefur cry.

"Mosskit!" her littermates yowled her name.

Mosskit floundered in the water, trying to keep her head up.

"Mosskit, hang on!" Bluefur started to charge towards her, but once the water started to lap at her forelegs, she froze, her blue-gray pelt bristling.

"Bluefur!" Mosskit yowled, "Bluefur, help!"

Bluefur stared at her, hopelessness and regret filling her gaze.

Mosskit flailed her paws, hoping to get a grip on something, but in an instant, her whole body sunk below the surface. Mosskit churned her paws and kicked her hind legs, but she could seem to move. She couldn't even tell which way was up.

Her heart pounded out of her chest. Her lungs screamed for air. She had to get a breath, or she would die there, in the chilly depths of the river.

Suddenly, something gripped her scruff. As she was being pulled upward, hope filled Mosskit. Had Bluefur gotten the courage to save her?

Coughing and spluttering, she broke the surface. Mosskit shuddered as she vomited the ice-cold water she had swallowed in her desperate attempt to get to the surface.

Out of the corner of her eye, she glimpsed a reddish-brown pelt. Bluefur hadn't saved her, but Oakheart.

Oakheart was glaring at Bluefur. "You didn't try to save her."

"I…" Bluefur was trembling with shock, "ThunderClan cats don't swim."

"And yet you still couldn't help her?" Oakheart snarled, "And as for you three, why are you even here? You know that kits are to stay in camp!"

"We wanted to know why Bluefur gave us up," Mosskit rasped, still sputtering out water.

"Go ahead," Oakheart grumbled at Bluefur, "Tell them."

Bluefur didn't seem to hear him. She just whipped around and charged through the bushes.

"Frog dung!" Oakheart hissed around Mosskit's scruff, "Oh, just forget about it. Come on. You three are in a heap of trouble."


	6. Corrupted Minds

Water surged around Mosskit. She flailed desperately, like a fly caught in a spider web.

_StarClan, help me!_

She looked up. Bluefur was gazing down at her through the rippling, bubbling water, her gaze expressionless.

The blue-gray warrior raised a paw. Relief filled Mosskit. Her mother was going to scoop her up and save her.

But she was wrong.

Bluefur's paw came crashing down through the water and pressed down on her. Her heart began to pound. Bluefur's eyes were still blank.

_What in StarClan's name are you doing?_

Mosskit tried to fight her mother's paw, but it held her down, never daring to move. Mosskit screamed, sucking in water, as she hit the bottom of the river.

Horrible pain exploded through Mosskit. Bluefur's paw was crushing her against the gritty, pebbly bottom. The pebbles stabbed through Mosskit's body. Though they were smooth, they cut her insides deeply, as if they were the sharpest claws.

Mosskit could see the water run red with her blood.

Mosskit yowled, her head shooting up. Her breath came out in shallow gasps, and her blue eyes widened with horror.

It took her a while to realize she was in Mudfur's den. The RiverClan medicine cat had given her a check-up once Oakheart had returned her and her littermates to camp, to be sure that she hadn't strained anything from her flailing, and that she hadn't caught a cold from the freezing water.

Even though he had said that she was fine, Oakheart had insisted she would spend the night here.

She saw the silhouette of the light-brown tom shift. His head lifted and turned in her direction. "Mosskit?" he whispered, "Did you yowl?"

"Yeah," Mosskit replied, "I…had a bad dream."

"I understand," Mudfur murmured, "Why don't you go back to the nursery? You'll probably sleep easier next to your littermates."

"Okay."

"Go on, but be sure you don't wake anyone."

Mosskit rose to her paws, still shaky from her nightmare. Making sure she was as quiet as a tadpole, the gray-and-white kit made her way into the nursery.

Letting out a sigh, Mosskit curled up beside her littermates, and fell back asleep.

Mosskit opened her eyes.

_Where am I?_

She stood up. She was in a dark, shadowy forest. No moon or stars shone in a pitch-black sky. The ground was bare and cracked beneath her paws. The trees were twisted and moldy. The air smelled of rotting flesh.

_What kind of place is this? Is this another nightmare?_

"Why, hello there, little kit. Are you lost?"

Mosskit jumped at the gruff voice. Standing behind her was a big, skinny, brown tom with a thin tail, hairless with scar tissue.

_What happened to him?_

"Figures," the tom growled, "Kits get lost in this place all the time. And what do they do? They just sit on their rumps and mewl for their mothers."

Mosskit fluffed up her fur and unsheathed her claws. "Hey, it wasn't exactly my decision to come here, you know. I just woke up. I don't where I am or why I'm here. I'm scared of this place, I'll admit, but I'm not scared of you!"

The tom stared, not at all frightened or surprised. He actually looked kind of bored.

"Go away, or I'll claw your ears off!"

The tom gasped. "Oh, no!" his voice grew dramatic, "An undersized, moon-old she-kit just threatened to deafen me with her own puny claws! Oh, the horror! You're going to have to do a lot better, kit," he added, his voice going back to normal.

Growling, Mosskit leaped and sank her teeth in to his foreleg. "Stop it, you vermin!" he snarled, "Do you really think a bite to the leg could kill me? I could snap your little neck with my eyes closed!" He shook his foreleg in every direction, trying to get Mosskit to let go. "Get off of me, you senseless kit!" He bit and her scruff and yanked off his leg. Screeching with terror, Mosskit was flung in the air. She hissed as she hit the barren ground. "Next time," the tom snarled, "you'll think twice before messing with me." With one last lash of the tail, he disappeared into the trees.

_Well, that was a little unnecessary._

Out of the corner of her eye, Mosskit a shape form onto the ground. She recognized it instantly.

_Mistykit!_

Mosskit ran to her sister, who was sleeping soundly, as if she thought she was still curled up in the moss of Graypool's nest. She prodded Mistykit's shoulder with her paw. "Mistykit! Mistykit, wake up!"

The blue-furred kit opened her drowsy eyes. "Morning already?" she yawned. Her eyes widened as she realized where she was. "M-Mosskit?" she rasped, "Where are we?"

"I don't know," Mosskit confessed, "Scary isn't it?"

"Oh, of course not," Mistykit replied sarcastically, "A place where the sky's pitch-black and where glowing lichen grows on dead trees isn't scary at all."

Mosskit flicked her tail on Mistykit's ears. "Okay, I get it. Now, let's see if we can find Stonekit."

"Good idea," Mistykit replied, "Stonekit? Stonekit, are you there?" she called out.

"Stonekit, can you hear us?" Mosskit yowled.

The bushes rustled. Mosskit held her breath. Would another scary cat come out and taunt them?

_Maybe…Maybe even kill us?_

"Mosskit? Mistykit? Is that you?"

It was Stonekit.

Her brother stepped out of the leafless bushes. "So you're here, too?" he prompted.

Mistykit nodded. "We don't have the slightest idea why we're here, though. Do you?"

"Not in the slightest," Stonekit replied, "This is a dream, right?"

Mosskit narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. "I…I think so. I don't remember ever waking up and coming to this place. Why I would, I have no idea."

"Same here," Mistykit mewed.

"Me, too," Stonekit murmured, "Could…Could we be here for a reason?"

"Maybe," Mistykit replied, "This doesn't feel like any other dream I've had."

"You're right," Mosskit mewed, "This can't be a coincidence."

_It can't be. Or is it? I don't know, ever since the whole river incident, my mind's been going in every direction._

"Ah, you're all here. Good."

A she-cat stepped out of the bushes. "I've been waiting for you three."

Mosskit bristled. Even though this cat sounded nicer than the one she met earlier, she wasn't going to let her guard down. "Who are you?" she demanded.

The she-cat blinked. "Hey, no need to be so hostile. By the way you're acting, I'd say you met another cat here?"

Mosskit stared at her. "Uh, yes, I did. He was a big, skinny, brown tom with a hairless tail. Do you know him?"

"Of course!" the she-cat muttered to herself, "You must have met Shredtail."

"Is Shredtail a friend of yours?" Stonekit asked.

The she-cat shrugged her broad, ginger-and-white shoulders. "I suppose you could say that. He's always looking for someone to jibe at. But not me, little ones. I'm your friend."

"Well, what's your name?" Mistykit mewed.

The bicolor she-cat dipped her head. "My name is Mapleshade."

Mosskit stared at Mapleshade. This cat seemed friendly, but there was a certain expression burning in her yellow eyes. Something like…

"What is it, Mosskit?" Mapleshade meowed, breaking Mosskit out of her thoughts, "Is there something on my pelt?"

"Uh, n-no," Mosskit replied, "But…how did you know my name?"

"Spirit cats know everything," Mapleshade winked at her.

"So you're a StarClan warrior?" Mistykit squeaked.

"I suppose so," Mapleshade replied.

Mosskit looked around. This forest looked nothing like the forest the white cat was showing her, back on the night of the snowstorm.

_This place is much…spookier than I thought._

"Now, I bet you're all wondering why you're here," Mapleshade, once again, snapped Mosskit back to reality.

Mistykit and Stonekit nodded vigorously. Mosskit blinked at her. "So you know why we're here?"

"Of course," Mapleshade replied, "I brought you here myself."

"How did you-"

"Spirit cats can do more than you think," Mapleshade interrupted Mistykit, "Now…" she turned around, and pulled something out of the bushes.

_Ew!_ Mosskit wrinkled her nose at the stench.

The ginger-and-white she-cat had pulled a bird out and presented it to the kits. "This is a turtle dove," she explained, "I caught it myself. It's a very special turtle dove."

"What's so special about that feathery carrion?" Stonekit grumbled, his face scrunched up in disgust.

"It's not carrion," Mapleshade retorted, "The reason it smells funny is because of the secrets it holds."

"Secrets?" Mosskit echoed.

"Secrets," Mapleshade repeated, "It reeks of dark secrets that only StarClan is cursed to know. One of the many secrets is why you were betrayed and tossed aside by the disgrace to the Clans, Bluefur."

_I wouldn't call her a disgrace. I mean, there must've been some logical reason she gave us to Oakheart, right?_

"But we aren't old enough to eat fresh-kill," Stonekit protested.

"Look, do you want to know the truth, or don't you?" Mapleshade asked, her eyes sparking with impatience.

"She's right," Mistykit stepped forward and took a bite out of the bird. As she swallowed the meat, Stonekit stepped up and took a hesitant bite.

Mosskit was about to take her bite, when a yowl split through the air like thunder.

"You heartless, crow-food-eating, piece of fox-dung!"

A flash a white bolted past Mosskit, and slammed into Mapleshade. A cat had attacked her, and had her pinned in an instant. Mosskit instantly recognized the long, starry fur and blue eyes.

_The white StarClan cat!_

"So, you had the guts to come here, Snowfur?" Mapleshade sneered.

"Shut up, you gutless brute!" Snowfur hissed, "Mosskit, don't you dare take a bite out of it. This…This _monstrosity_ corrupted it!"

"Corrupted it?" Mapleshade echoed, "Don't be ridiculous! I would never do such a horrid thing!"

"Oh, yeah?" Snowfur growled, "Well, what do you say to that?" She pointed her tail to Mistykit and Stonekit.

Mosskit let out a screech of horror. Her littermates were on the ground, twitching violently and yowling with agony. Finally, with a hiss, they were gone.

"What did you do to them?" Mosskit growled at Mapleshade.

"Nothing!" Mapleshade snapped, "They probably got scared and woke up. They're perfectly fine."

"No!" Snowfur argued, "They were suffering! The same thing will happen to you if you take a bite out of that turtle dove!"

"Mosskit, don't listen to her," Mapleshade meowed, "Eat the turtle dove!"

"Don't do it!"

"Do it!"

"Don't eat!

"Eat, Mosskit!"

"No!"

Mosskit head whirled. She wanted to know the truth, but…

_I trust Snowfur. I believe what she said, especially after what happened to Mistykit and Stonekit._

"I'm not eating it," Mosskit growled to Mapleshade.

"Yes, you are," Mapleshade's voice was like ice.

Mosskit came nose-to-nose with Mapleshade. "Make me," she snarled.

"Mosskit, don't bother," Snowfur meowed, "She's more stubborn than a cheeky apprentice. Just wake up okay? I'll make sure she won't torment you anymore. Just wake up!"

"What about you?" Mosskit asked the StarClan cat.

"Don't worry about me. Just wake up, Mosskit! Now!"

Mosskit snapped open her eyes. She was back in the nursery. She was safe from Mapleshade and that spooky forest.

_I hope Snowfur's okay…_

"Mosskit?"

Mosskit whipped around. Her littermates were staring at her.

"Mistykit! Stonekit!" she rose to her paws and pressed against them, "You're okay!"

"Of course we are," Mistykit mewed, confused, "Why wouldn't we be?"

Mosskit blinked. It must've been just another nightmare. "I…I had a dream that you harmed," Mosskit replied, "But you're okay now."

"You don't have to worry about us," her sister purred, "No stupid dream's gonna hurt us."

The bushes of the nursery rustled. Oakheart stepped in.

"Hi, Oakheart!" Mistykit greeted her father cheerfully.

"Hello, kits," Oakheart his voice oddly serious, "Crookedstar and I have something to tell you."

"Crookedstar?" Mosskit mewed.

"That's right," the twisted-jawed tom poked his head into the nursery, "There's something that you kits are probably dying to know."

_He must be talking about why Bluefur gave us up!_

Mistykit and Stonekit just gave each other confused glances, as if it wasn't obvious what Crookedstar meant.

"Come on," Oakheart flicked his tail, "We'll explain everything in Crookedstar's den."

The kits followed their father and uncle into the tangle of reeds where their uncle made his den.

Crookedstar and Oakheart sat down.

"Okay, kits," Oakheart began, "We're going to tell you why your mother gave you up."

"When did Graypool give us up?" Mistykit asked.

Mosskit stared at Mistykit. She must've meant Bluefur? Crookedstar and Oakheart had the same reaction.

Mistykit blinked in confusion. "What?"

"Yeah, how could Graypool have given us up if we're still in RiverClan?" Stonekit added.

_Stonekit, too?_

"Uh…" Oakheart hesitated, exchanging a glance with Crookedstar, "I-It's nothing. Go back to the nursery, kits. I'll come and play with you later."

_But I wanted to know the truth!_

"Come on, Mosskit," Stonekit prompted, "I don't know what Oakheart was going to tell us, but it mustn't have been important."

Her mind buzzing, Mosskit followed her littermates outside.

_What were they talking about? Bluefur's our mother, not _

_"It's because of the turtle dove."_

Mosskit jumped. A familiar shape appeared behind her. _Snowfur! So, that wasn't just a dream, after all…_

The white she-cat shook her head. _"No. Mapleshade took you all to the Dark Forest to wipe all the good memories of Bluefur, and replace them with fake memories of Graypool."_

_But why?_

_"Mapleshade is hungry for revenge,"_ Snowfur explained, _"But that's for another day."_

"Mosskit!" at the sound of Mistykit's voice, Snowfur faded away, "What's the hold up? You've been so scatter-brained since you woke up. Aren't you coming?"

"Uh, yeah, I'm coming," Mosskit called back. She was still confused. Why did Snowfur stop her from eating the turtle dove? Was it part of her promise?

Shaking away the confusion, Mosskit bounded from Crookedstar's den and into the nursery.


	7. New Apprentices

"Would you two sit still for just two heartbeats?"

Mistykit and Stonekit were tussling on the ground, as usual. Mosskit rolled her eyes.

_When will those two just learn to grow up?_

The patched she-kit sat calmly, her tail wrapped around her paws. She sighed with pleasure as she soaked up the warm greenleaf sun. For a heartbeat, Mosskit remembered snow under her paws, and a chilly breeze buffeting her fur. She also she remembered the night she had lost her status as a ThunderClan kit.

_It doesn't matter anymore. As long as Bluefur's proud of me, I don't care if I'm the rattiest rouge._

"Why can't you two learn to be calm?" Graypool's irritable meow broke into Mosskit's thoughts, "If you don't keep dirt out of your fur, I'll just have to rip it all out! Now, come here and let me clean your fur…_again_." She put a lot of emphasis on "again".

Mistykit and Stonekit sighed, and sat down in front of Graypool. "Honestly," Mosskit heard Graypool grumble as she rasped her tongue along Mistykit's pelt, "Why can't you two be like your sister. She's so polite and well-behaved, when you two always want to stir up trouble."

Mosskit felt flattered at Graypool's praise. It wasn't hard for her to act the way she does. It just came with her personality.

_Besides, I have to be calm and well-behaved if I want to be chosen to be leader._

"We're just excited," Stonekit mewed. His voice had gotten a little lower.

"That's still no excuse," Graypool scolded, "There, you're done," she nudged Mistykit, "Go _sit_ down next to Mosskit."

Her ears flicking, Mistykit sat down beside Mosskit. "She can be such a killjoy sometimes," she whispered in Mosskit's ear, "but that's mothers for you, right?"

Mosskit had to stop herself from cringing. The effects of the dove that Mapleshade had corrupted still hadn't left Mistykit and Stonekit, even after five whole moons. She realized that it must be permanent. She just nodded. "But, think for a second, Mistykit. Our apprentice ceremony is today. Graypool obviously wants us to act like apprentices. We have to make a good first impression on our mentors."

"I guess you have a point," Mistykit mewed hesitantly.

"Hey!" Stonekit mewed, done with his bath, "What do you think our warrior names will be?"

"We're just going to be apprentices, Stonekit," Mosskit mewed, "Can't we leave the warrior names up to Crookedstar?"

"I know," the dark-colored kit replied, "But it won't kill to wonder," he crouched low and unsheathed his claws, "I'm going to be the greatest fighter _ever_! I'm going to have so many battle scars, that Crookedstar'll have to call me 'Stonescar'!"

"More like 'Stonehead'," Mistykit purred in Mosskit's ear.

"What was that, Mistybrain?" Stonekit sneered, obviously hearing his sister's joke.

"_Stonehead_," Mistykit growled playfully.

"Oh, you wanna fight?"

"Don't even think about it!" Graypool's hiss made Mistykit and Stonekit freeze.

"Graypool's right, you two," Mosskit mewed, "You should calm down a bit. Save the fighting for later."

"Hey, Mistykit, do you know what Mosskit's warrior name will be?" Stonekit mewed playfully.

"What?" Mistykit's mew was serious, just curious.

"Well, her fur's very soft, so maybe her claws are soft, too. So her name should be 'Mossclaw'! She doesn't really play-fight. Sometimes, but not all the time. She's probably just too scared to fight in real battles!"

"Stonekit, don't you think that was a little harsh?" Mistykit mewed.

Mosskit's claws scraped the ground. "They won't feel so soft after they make nice, deep cuts in your face!"

"You see?" Mistykit muttered, her eyes narrowed.

"Hey, calm down," Stonekit mewed, "It was only a joke."

"Well, we'll see who has the last laugh after battle training," Mosskit challenged.

"Oh, you're on!"

"Hello," Graypool must have left to get Oakheart, because he had padded up to them, his eyes shining with pride, "How are my three favorite warriors today?"

"Great!" Mosskit purred.

"We can't wait to be apprentices!" Mistykit squeaked.

"In case, come with me," Oakheart meowed, "Crookedstar's about to call the meeting."

As if on cue, the RiverClan leader's voice rang out, "Let all cats old enough to swim gather to hear my words!"

_Here we go._

Mosskit had to stop herself from jumping with excitement as Graypool and Oakheart led them into the crowd that was beginning to form.

Oakheart bounded over to his spot beside the step, the place the deputy would sit. Crookedstar had appointed his brother as deputy after his first deputy, Timberfur, died of an infected cut.

Mosskit gazed at Crookedstar with excitement as he made his announcement. "Cats of RiverClan, three of our kits have reached their sixth moon, and are ready to begin their training as apprentices." Crookedstar's gaze rested to Mosskit and her littermates. "Stonekit, please come forward."

Chin and tail, Mosskit watched her brother walk to the middle of the clearing.

"Stonekit, from this day, until you have received your warrior name, you will be known as Stonepaw. I ask StarClan to watch over you, and guide you until you find in your paws the strength and courage of a warrior. Your mentor will be me, and I promise to pass on all I had learned from Cedarpelt to you." An excited murmur rippled through the crowd as Stonepaw touched noses with Crookedstar.

_What an honor! Stonepaw gets to be trained by the Clan leader!_

Mosskit saw Oakheart whisper something to Stonepaw while Crookedstar returned to the stump. With a brisk nod, the new apprentice sat down beside his father.

"Mistykit, please come forward," Crookedstar ordered.

The blue-gray kit looked a little self-conscious, but her eyes shown with excitement as she stopped in the middle of the clearing.

"Mistykit, from this day, until you have received your warrior name, you will be known as Mistypaw." Crookedstar's gaze scanned the crowd, until resting on the warrior with the most distinctive coat. "Leopardfur, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You had received excellent training from Whitefang, and I expect you to pass on all you know to Mistypaw."

Mistypaw looked relieved as she and Leopardfur touched noses. Mosskit figured she must've hoped for the golden spotted tabby to be her mentor.

Mosskit tail curled up with excitement as Crookedstar's pale-green eyes rested on her.

_This is it._

"Mosskit, please come forward."

Taking a deep breath, Mosskit made her way to the middle of the clearing. She wanted to look mature and calm, ready for her future as a noble warrior of RiverClan, but patient enough to wait her turn and go through training.

She wanted to make her mentor, whoever they may be, instantly proud of her.

"Mosskit, from this day, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Mosspaw." She could easily see the affection in the RiverClan leader's eyes as he pointed out her mentor. "Willowbreeze, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You had received excellent training from Owlfur, and I expect you to pass on all you know to Mosspaw."

Mosspaw beamed as the silver-gray tabby stepped out of the crowd and up to her. She had looked up to her ever since she had come to RiverClan.

"Now, just because we're friends doesn't mean I won't go hard on you," Willowbreeze purred softly as she and Mosspaw touched noses.

"Do your worst," Mosspaw purred back, "I'm ready for anything."

"Stonepaw! Mistypaw! Mosspaw!"

Satisfaction filled Mosspaw as she heard the Clan chant her and her littermates' names. She closed her eyes and sent a silent prayer, hoping StarClan would send her words to a particular warrior.

_I'm an apprentice now, Bluefur. I promise I'll be the best warrior RiverClan has ever had. I'll make you proud to be my mother._

**Note from the author: Hey there, readers! I'm glad you've liked this story enough to read to this far. Since Mosspaw's an apprentice now, I'm going to ask you guys something. What do you think Mosspaw's warrior name will be? You might know if you've seen my YouTube and deviantART. However, if you do know, don't spoil it for the other readers. The next chapter should be up soon, so your eyes peeled. See you!**


	8. Seeing The Sights

With a flick of his tail, Crookedstar ended the meeting. Excited chattering and happy looks were casted at Mosspaw. With a feeling of accomplishment, she realized that she wasn't a kit anymore.

Mistypaw and Stonepaw ran up to her.

"We're apprentices!" Mistypaw purred.

"I've got an idea," Stonepaw meowed, "Whoever does the best at battle training today gets the best nest, and whoever does the worst has to sleep on the cold, hard ground."

"Cold'? 'Hard'?" Mistypaw rolled her eyes, "What part of the word 'greenleaf' don't you understand, Stonepaw?"

"And who said we were battle training today?" a voice mewed from behind them.

Stonepaw whipped around. "Crookedstar!"

The RiverClan leader had padded up to the apprentices, followed by Leopardfur and Willowbreeze. "I respect your enthusiasm, Stonepaw," he meowed, a hint of amusement in his tone, "but we aren't battle training today. Instead, we're going to be doing something very important."

"What?" Mistypaw and Mosspaw pressed simultaneously.

"We're going to give you three a tour of the territory," Willowbreeze answered them.

"Oh…" Mistypaw hung her head in disappointment, but Mosspaw instantly jumped to her paws.

"That's great!" she mewed excitedly, "We'll finally get to see the whole territory!"

Stonepaw shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. If you like that sort of thing."

Mosspaw flicked her tail at her brother. Her littermates, more so Stonepaw, obviously wanted to show off their "battle skills" to their mentors. Mosspaw would've like battle training just fine, but exploring the territory for the first time seemed much more fun.

Then she remembered the day when Oakheart had caught Mosspaw and her littermates at the river, five moons ago.

Fear filled her. What if Crookedstar, Leopardfur, or Willowbreeze would mention the whole river incident? Due to the effects of the turtle dove, Mistypaw and Stonepaw wouldn't remember it. Only Mosspaw.

"Well, come on then," Leopardfur's impatient mew brought Mosspaw back to the present.

Excitement tickling her paws, Mosspaw followed her littermates and their mentors out of camp, Willowbreeze at her side.

xxxXX**X**XXxxx

Mosspaw's heart ached with memories as she gazed ahead of her.

_The river…_

The water churned strongly and freely, bubbling around the stepping stones. A frog leaped off of a lily pad, and splashed into the water.

Clearing his throat, Crookedstar began, "This is the river that borders RiverClan and Thunder-"

"Mistypaw!" Leopardfur cut him off, "What are you doing?"

Mosspaw glanced at her sister. The blue-gray apprentice was crouched, staring at the mud. Mosspaw had no idea what was going through Mistypaw's head, until her sister slammed her paws and muzzle into the mud.

"I got it! I got it!" Mistypaw squeaked like a kit, her jaws clamped. She turned to Leopardfur, her icy-colored eyes shining. Mud streaked her muzzle, flecking it with a dirty gray-brown color. Trapped in her teeth, twitched a crayfish.

A flash of pride flickered in Mosspaw. But the pride was replaced by awkwardness as Leopardfur spat, "Mistypaw, were you told to dig for crayfish?"

"I didn't dig for them!" Mistypaw protested, not letting go of her catch, "I-" the crayfish pinched her lip, "Ow!"

She opened her mouth and shook her head, trying to make the crayfish let go. Finally, the tiny crustacean lost its sharp grip on Mistypaw and hit the ground.

While Mistypaw rubbed her lip with a paw, the crayfish scurried back to its mud-hole.

"Humph, serves you right," Leopardfur grunted.

Crookedstar flicked his tail. "As I was saying, this is the river that borders RiverClan and ThunderClan. This river is also the main place where we get our food." He flicked his tail over to the other side of the river. "Over there is ThunderClan territory."

"I wouldn't want to live there," Stonepaw muttered, "I'll never understand how those ThunderClan thorny-pelts can put up with crashing through the brambles."

Mosspaw flicked her ear. Obviously, her brother had picked up the term that the cranky elders called ThunderClan cats. Just like ThunderClan, Mosspaw remembered, called RiverClan cats "fish-faces".

_If only you remembered that you were a "thorny-pelt", Stonepaw. Maybe then you'd be eating your words?_

"And if you look just at the edge of ThunderClan territory, you will see Sunningrocks. Long ago, the river was wider, making the Sunningrocks an island only accessible by RiverClan. However, one hot greenleaf made the river as narrow as it is today, so Sunningrocks was now accessible to ThunderClan. After that snake-hearts assumed that they could take them from us." The leader's pale eyes narrowed scornfully, as if he could see ThunderClan warriors sneering at him, "But they're wrong. We're letting them use them…for now. "

Gazing at her leader a little while longer, Mosspaw noticed another emotion flickering in his eyes.

Suddenly, Mosspaw's ears began to ring. Flame washed over her eyes. A sensation crackled through every strand of fur on the gray-and-white cat's pelt.

With trembling legs, Mosspaw found herself still at the river. But Crookedstar, Willowbreeze, Leopardfur, and her littermates were gone.

_What in the name of StarClan…?_

She gasped as she looked over at Sunningrocks. A vaguely familiar cat crouched near the boulders. His fur was flecked and pale-gray. His whiskers were kinky and his pelt was ragged. He muttered to himself, but his words were too indistinct for Mosspaw to make out.

Mosspaw figured that it might be nonsense babble.

_I think I've seen that tom before…I think he was a ThunderClan elder…Oh, what was his name?_

Murmuring broke into Mosspaw's thoughts.

The reeds quivered. Mosspaw recognized the tiny squeaks of kits. She wondered why on earth kits would be away from the camp.

Then again, she had begged her littermates to sneak out of camp.

"I think we should tell Shellheart," squeaked a kit.

"Let's deal with this ourselves," replied another.

"We can't take on a full-grown tom."

"Why not? There are two of us."

"But we-"

"Shhh! Or the mange-ball will hear us!"

Then the kits creeped out from the reeds.

With a racing heart, Mosspaw recognized them.

_Crookedstar and Oakheart! But how…?_

Mosspaw gazed at who she assumed to be Crookedkit. His jaw was as straight as any cat's.

_This must have been before he broke his jaw. He couldn't have possibly been born with his crooked jaw. I wonder what his first kit name was?_

Suddenly, the tom pricked his ears and turned to the kits. His pale-blue eyes blazed with cold fire. "Did you think I wouldn't notice you?" he growled.

The other kit, most likely Oakkit, fluffed up his fur. "Let's get out of here!"

"Not yet," his brother showed his teeth, "You're on RiverClan territory! Get off our land."

Oakkit's fear must have faded, because he unsheathed his claws. "Go and steal someone else's herbs!"

The gray tom flattened his ears. "How dare you?"

The bold tom kits grew afraid.

"He's going to kill us!" Oakkit croaked.

"Run!" at Crookedkit's high-pitched yowl, the two scurried away from the menacing tom. The hopped from stepping-stone to stepping-stone, crying out.

"You don't get away from Goosefeather that easily!" the tom snarled. Mosspaw finally remembered his name. She also remembered Bluefur saying that his sister was her mother.

_I'm related to this featherhead!_

Suddenly, Crookedkit slipped on one of the stones. Mosspaw let out a squeak of terror as the kits face collided with the next stepping stone.

_This must have been when he broke his jaw!_

"Stormkit!" Oakkit yowled.

Suddenly, the ringing in Mosspaw's ears returned. Flame washed over her eyes once more.

Goosefeather, Oakkit, and Stormkit were gone. She was back to reality.

"Mosspaw? What's wrong?" she heard Willowbreeze mew.

With a jolt, the apprentice realized that the entire patrol was staring at her.

"I...I…uh…" the words tumbled out of Mosspaw's mouth, "N-Nothing. I'm fine. I…I think I saw something."

"What did you see?" Mistypaw asked her, tensing up.

"I, uh, don't know," Mosspaw stumbled, "It was probably nothing."

"In that case," Crookedstar meowed, "Let's keep going."

xxxXX**X**XXxxx

"This is the willow copse," Crookedstar angled his ears to the large clump of willow trees, "Where we battle train our apprentices."

Mosspaw shot a glance at Stonepaw. Her brother's eyes were shining like two green suns.

_He's going to explode with excitement as this rate._

The ringing returned to Mosspaw's ears. Again, flame washed over her eyes.

She looked around. She recognized the cattails and willows of RiverClan territory.

A yowl of terror shook the air. A flash of silver-gray bolted past Mosspaw. At that moment, she realized she was looking at a much younger Willowbreeze.

Suddenly, the ground shook. A fearsome beast burst out of the shadows. It was huge, with a bulky, muscular build. Its tail was stumpy, and its ears were floppy. Its pelt was black-and-brown and looked as sleek as a trout.

Its fat, pink tongue hung out of the side of its mouth, and its fangs glistened with slobber.

Its voice was like thunder. Mosspaw had never seen a creature so ferocious. It lumbered after Willowbreeze. A _cat_ was being preyed upon?

A defiant yowl cut through the willows. A young adult tomcat darted forward. It was Crookedstar.

"Snake-heart!" the tabby tom screeched, dashing past Mosspaw.

Suddenly, her vision whipped through the reeds, past Crookedstar, past the beast, past Willowbreeze, and over to the willow copse.

At that heartbeat, Willowbreeze charged through the entrance, the beast nearly nipping her tail. The tabby she-cat skidded to a halt. The beast had her cornered.

"Willowpaw!"

Crookedstar bounded through the entrance and dashed, spitting with fury, over to the beast. Mosspaw had never seen him so enraged. He leaped onto its back, and sunk his claws into its broad shoulders.

"Crookedpaw!"

But even at Willowpaw's startled cry, Crookedpaw didn't lose his grip on the beast.

While he fought with it, Willowpaw just stared at her friend, her amber eyes wild with fear, and her body trembling like a leaf.

"Run!" Mosspaw yowled to Willowpaw.

"Mosspaw, what are you talking about?"

Mosspaw returned to the present.

"Who were you yowling at to run?" Willowbreeze asked.

_Technically, you._

"Are you sure you're okay?" Stonepaw asked, "You've been acting really strange ever since we got to the river."

"I'm _fine_," Mosspaw insisted. She had to be alone to think about all this. "I, uh, I think I've got a reed shard stuck in my fur. I better go try to get it out."

Feeling more awkward than she had ever felt before, Mosspaw padded away, deeper into RiverClan territory. She walked slowly through the reeds, her mind buzzing.

_I don't understand. Why do I keep having these visions? What triggers them?_

Suddenly, her nose hit something hard. With hot ears, Mosspaw realized she had bumped into a tree. She looked at the massive plant. She knew she it wasn't a willow.

She looked at the leaves. She recognized the jagged shape. This tree was an oak.

Then the ringing in her ears came back.

_Not again!_

Yet again, flame washed over her eyes.

Rain pelted the ground. Cats with sodden pelts were clustered together, their eyes wide.

A white she-cat, speckled with black, was crouching next to a pale-gray queen, her belly heavy with kits. Mosspaw recognized the black-and-white she-cat as Mudfur's mentor, Brambleberry. But she didn't recognize the pale-gray queen.

At that moment, she realized that the queen's body was tense, and her face was twisted with pain.

A dappled, gray tom bounded up to the two she-cats. "Rainflower?" concern edged his mew.

"The kits are coming," Brambleberry told the tom.

Fear flickered in the tom's green gaze. "Right now?"

"They won't wait for the storm to end, Shellheart," Brambleberry retorted, "We must get her somewhere safe."

Suddenly, Mosspaw saw Shellheart and Brambleberry push the laboring queen, Rainflower, up a tree. She realized that the tree was the oak that she bumped into.

Then she saw Shellheart and Brambleberry perched on a limb. Rainflower was stretched out beside them. Over the pound of the rain, Mosspaw heard the squeaks of kits. She thought she could see tiny shapes huddled by Rainflower, but she couldn't make out their coat colors.

The vision ended. Mosspaw was back at the oak.

"Oh, Mosspaw, you're here," she heard Crookedstar's voice, "Did you get that reed shard out of your fur?"

Mosspaw turned around. The patrol had caught up to her.

"Oh! Oh, yes. Yes, I got it out," Mosspaw replied, trying not to sound awkward.

"I see you've found the Storm Oak," Crookedstar remarked, his tone wistful.

"Storm Oak?" Mosspaw echoed.

"Yes. It's called the Storm Oak because a queen started her kitting in the middle of a storm. The medicine cat and her mate helped her up this oak so she could give birth. The kits were named Stormkit and Oakkit after the storm they were born in and the oak that protected them."

Mosspaw's fur started to rise. Crookedstar was reciting the exact same things she had seen in her vision. Then she remembered her first vision at the river. The kits were Stormkit, who would later become Crookedkit, and Oakkit. This was the place where her father and uncle were born!

"How can kits be born when they're up in a tree in the middle of a storm?" Mistypaw asked, gazing up into the branches.

Mosspaw saw Willowbreeze gently nudge Crookedstar. "Maybe StarClan destined them for greatness, and wanted them to be born with the strength of a storm? It's said that kits born in storms become great warriors. Kits named after storms can be even greater."

Crookedstar's ears flicked, as if he became suddenly self-conscious.

"Well, now that we've seen the Storm Oak," he meowed, "It's time we got to our last stop."

xxxXX**X**XXxxx

"Here is the place where RiverClan's and WindClan's territories meet."

A huge, hilly moorland stretched out before them.

"There're no willows or reeds to shelter the WindClan cats," Mistypaw remarked, "They'd get picked up by falcons before you can say 'fish'."

"WindClan cats are fast and crafty," Leopardfur explained, "So, they don't have to worry about being picked up by falcons. They also use their speed to catch rabbits. The rabbits live in warrens underground and don't stray too far from their burrows, so the WindClan cats have to be fast." With a stern look at Mistypaw, she added, "And they have to be _alert_ and _pay attention_ so they can pinpoint their prey."

Mistypaw looked crestfallen. She obviously didn't want to be reminded of how she angered Leopardfur by catching a crayfish and not paying attention to Crookedstar.

Once again, ringing entered Mosspaw's ears. She entered yet another vision.

She was in a hollow surrounded by prickly plants with yellow flowers on them.

Cats were fighting all around her. She realized that some cats were from WindClan, but she couldn't tell where the other cats were from.

She found herself watching two cats, a silver-and-black she-cat and a mottled, gray tom, fight.

The tom lunged forward and raked his claws across the she-cat's throat.

"_No!_"

A voice rung out above the yowls of fighting cats. A young she-cat darted over to the silver-and-black one, who lay limply on the ground, the blood pooling out of her neck wound.

Mosspaw instantly recognized the thick, blue-gray fur and ice-blue eyes. Mosspaw was looking at a much younger Bluefur.

Bluefur was crouched over the she-cats body, begging her to get up.

A muscular red-brown tom with green eyes padded up to Bluefur's side. He stroked her back with his long, slender tail.

"I'm sorry, Bluepaw," he murmured, "She's dead."

"Mosspaw, snap out of it!"

The gray-and-white she-cat snapped back to the present at Stonepaw's yowl.

"Hunh?" Mosspaw shook her head. All the visions were starting to give her a headache.

"Mosspaw, you look like you were in the middle of a battle," Stonepaw meowed, "You're positive that you're fine?"

"Yes, yes, Stonepaw," Mosspaw snapped, her headache and confusion making her irritable, "I'm fine, okay? I'm _fine_. I just…I think I'm tired."

Willowbreeze rested her tail on Mosspaw's shoulders. "That's understandable. It is your first day, after all." She turned to Crookedstar. "I think it's time we all got back to camp."

"You're right, Willowbreeze," Crookedstar murmured, "Let's get back to camp. We'll teach you some battle moves tomorrow."

xxxXX**X**XXxxx

"You're back! How was your first day of training?"

A friendly voice greeted them as they entered the apprentices' den. It was Skypaw, a pale-brown tabby she-cat and the oldest female apprentice.

"Oh, it was fine," Mosspaw replied, trying to sound cheery.

Dawnpaw and Mallowpaw, ginger-and-white and light-brown-and-white she-cats, bounded up to them.

"What did you do?" Mallowpaw asked.

"What do you think?" an irritable mew answered her, it was Blackpaw, Skypaw's brother, "They gave them a tour of the territory. They do it for every new apprentice."

The smoky-black tom was curled up at the back of the den.

Mosspaw heard a sigh from behind her. Mistypaw was staring at Blackpaw, her ice-blue eyes cloudy with sadness. She seemed to be upset about Blackpaw being grouchy.

_What's the big deal? Blackpaw's always been a grump._

Her sister padded up to Blackpaw, and curled up about two snake-lengths away from him. Blackpaw fluffed his fur a little, but didn't seem to protest.

"Uh, Stonepaw?" Dawnpaw prompted the dark-gray tom, "Would you, uh, like to sleep next to me?"

Mosspaw stifled a purr as her brother seemed to fluster with embarrassment. She had never seen her bold brother so awkward-looking. "Oh, um, sure," he replied, "Why not?"

Mosspaw stretched out on a patch of moss not far from Mistypaw. As she tried to get comfortable, she couldn't help but think of the visions she had.

Why did she have them?

How were they coming to her?

What did they mean?

Despite her buzzing head, the new RiverClan apprentice was able to slip into the calm darkness of sleep.


	9. Mosspaw's First Gathering

A full moon hung in the sky, turning the landscape to milky silver.

Mosspaw took a deep breath, trying to keep calm despite the excitement churning inside her. This would be her first Gathering. She was surprised that she and her littermates were chosen over the older apprentices to go when they had only been training for only a quarter-moon, but that didn't matter anymore, because she had more important things on her mind.

_I have to find Bluefur. I have to find out why she gave us up, even if it kills me. I'm sure Mistypaw and Stonepaw would want to know too, if Mapleshade hadn't corrupted that dove._

"Hey, Mosspaw!" Mistypaw's voice broke into her thoughts, "Hurry up! Or the Gathering will be over before we get there!"

"Coming!" Mosspaw called back.

_I'm coming, Bluefur._

xxxXX**X**XXxxx

Mosspaw's paws tingled with excitement. She was standing at the entrance to the hollow of Fourtrees. A breeze stirred her fur, and she thought she could hear the whispering voices of her warrior ancestors.

_This is a place of peace. No blood shall be shed here._

"Let's go!" Mistypaw yowled excitedly.

The blue-furred apprentice charged down the hollow, Stonepaw at her heels.  
>"No, wait!" Leopardfur hissed before the two young cats disappeared into the bushes, "Grr, apprentices!" she muttered.<p>

Mosspaw shot a glance at Crookedstar. The RiverClan leader's eyes flickered with embarrassment, probably from the fact that one of those hasty apprentices was his.

"Well, the rest of us might as well go down," he meowed.

At Crookedstar's call, the RiverClan cats charged down into the hollow.

Many unique scents hit Mosspaw. Sharp forests scents, the familiar watery scents of RiverClan, and light, breezy scents. She skidded to a halt at the bottom.

She was surrounded by cats of every color, every pattern, every size, every age. The huge blend of scents and coats made she body tremble.

She felt a pelt brush hers. "A little overwhelming, isn't it?" Willowbreeze asked.

"Th-There are so many cats," Mosspaw stuttered, sounding like an awestruck kit.

"Yes, yes, I know," Willowbreeze replied, amusement ringing in her tone, "But that doesn't mean you can't be friendly. Feel free to start conversations with other cats, but don't forget that you might meet them in battle one day."

"Of course," Mosspaw nodded, calmed.

"Hey, Willowbreeze!" a voice called to the silver-gray tabby.

A light-ginger tabby padded up to Willowbreeze. Her blue eyes shone in the moonlight. Her tail was long and bushy and pinkish-orange.

"Oh, hi, Rosetail," Willowbreeze greeted the she-cat with a purr, "How are things in ThunderClan?"

_ThunderClan!_

This she-cat used to be Mosspaw's Clanmate!

"Oh, you know, the usual," Rosetail replied, "Tigerclaw fought of a fox the other day."

"Did he?" Willowbreeze's ears pricked with interest.

Mosspaw couldn't believe her ears. Her mentor and this ThunderClan cat were talking to each other like they were old friends!

"Of course he did. He was trained by the best, after all." A voice broke into Willowbreeze and Rosetail's conversation.

A gray-and-white tom with spiky fur and glinting, amber eyes stepped forward.

"Oh, Willowbreeze, have met my brother Thistleclaw?" Rosetail asked as the tom padded up to them.

"Ah, yes, Thistleclaw," Willowbreeze narrowed her eyes thoughtfully, "I hear you're quite a fierce warrior in battle."

"You bet every last fish in that precious river of yours, I am," Thistleclaw replied coolly, "If it wasn't for me, Tigerclaw would be as weak and cowardly as WindClan cats."

"Uh, Thistleclaw," Rosetail murmured, "You do realize that our father is half-WindClan?"

Thistleclaw didn't reply to his sister. He just kept staring coldly at Willowbreeze.

"Since you know of my strength and fierceness," he meowed, a growl edging his voice, "You better not try anything funny."

"I was never planning to," Willowbreeze replied calmly.

"Humph, ThunderClan is lucky to have me," Thistleclaw continued, his chest puffed out proudly, "In fact, I'd be _perfect_ for the job as deputy, wouldn't I, Rosetail?" he shot a glance at his sister.

Rosetail's blue eyes flashed with awkwardness, and she said nothing.

"But, of course, Sunstar chose _Bluefur_ as deputy instead of me," he spat Bluefur's name with hatred, "He's always had a soft spot for her. Probably because he was her mentor after Stonepelt injured his shoulder."

Anger started to sear under Mosspaw's pelt. How dare he insult her mother?

"I really don't see what's so great about her, anyway."

Mosspaw couldn't take anymore of Thistleclaw's words. "She's a much better deputy than you'd ever be!" she blurted.

Thistleclaw rounded on her. At once Mosspaw saw the ominous glint in his eyes. He came nose-to-nose with her and spat, "Why do you care so much about Bluefur, kit?"

Mosspaw met his gaze. "First of all, I'm not a kit. Second of all, Bluefur's a great and noble deputy, and an asset to her Clan. As far as I've heard, anyway," she added, gazing strait-on into the accusing glint of the ThunderClan tom's eye.

"Thistleclaw, please," Rosetail whispered, "You're going to create a scene."

The spiky tom let out a grunt before walking away, his tail high.

"Mosspaw, you know better than to insult an experienced warrior like that," Willowbreeze told Mosspaw sternly once Thistleclaw left.

"But who died and gave him the right to insult Bluefur?" Mosspaw protested, "His own deputy, for StarClan's sake!"

"He was being unruly," Willowbreeze agreed, "But still-"

"Don't worry about it, Willowbreeze," Rosetail interrupted, "Mosspaw isn't the only cat who wants to club when he speaks out of order. He's always been hasty and hot-headed." She smiled at Mosspaw. "I must say that was pretty bold of you, standing up to him like that."

"Oh, th-thank you, Rosetail," Mosspaw replied, flattered.

"Mosspaw, why don't you go find your littermates," Willowbreeze suggested.

Mosspaw instantly nodded.

_Perfect! Now I'll be able to find Bluefur!_

Flicking her tail in farewell, Mosspaw bounded into the crowd, scanning for the familiar blue-gray pelt of her mother.

Finally, she spotted her, quietly exchanging words with a black-and-white tom. From the tom's extremely long tail, Mosspaw guessed that the tom was WindClan's deputy, Talltail.

_Maybe I should ask to speak with her alone? But then that might seem disrespectful to Talltail, and I've already spat in a warriors face tonight._

"Oh, Mosspaw, there you are," Mosspaw recognized the voice of Oakheart.

Her father padded up to her. "Mistypaw and Stonepaw were wondering where you were," he flicked his reddish-brown tail to a clump of ferns, "You'll find them talking to some apprentices."

Mosspaw simply nodded, doing her best to hide her disappointment. She didn't want Oakheart to suspect anything.

She started for the fern clump once Oakheart had started to join the two other deputies, but she couldn't help but glance back over her shoulder. She wanted to see how her father would greet his mate from a different Clan.

But the brown tom simply dipped his head and sat down next to Talltail. No hint of affection whatsoever.

_Of course. He wouldn't want anyone getting suspicious of him or Bluefur._

With one last glance at Bluefur, Mosspaw padded up to the fern clump.

Her littermates were talking excitedly to two young cats, a slender brown tabby tom and a small dusky-brown she-cat.

Mosspaw saw Mistypaw's ears flick as she padded up. The she-cat turned and purred to her. "Hey, Mosspaw! We were wondering where you were. Come meet Runningpaw and Mousepaw."

"They're from ThunderClan," Stonepaw added.

At that moment, Mosspaw grew excited. The names of the apprentices also sounded familiar.

Suddenly, Mosspaw entered a vision. Two smaller versions of Runningpaw and Mousepaw were curled up next to a very pale she-cat with a cloudy eye.

Beside the she-cat, a big dark tabby tom groomed her ears, his yellow eyes shining as his gaze rested on the kits.

Mosspaw recognized the adult cats as White-eye and her mate Sparrowpelt.

Out of the corner of her eye, she glimpsed the thick, blue-tinted form of Bluefur. Her distended belly rose and fell as she slept.

Then she had the image of her and her littermates playing in the snow with the two kits.

Once she gray-and-white she-cat returned to the present, she realized that these apprentices were her denmates back when she was in ThunderClan.

"This is our sister, Mosspaw," Stonepaw meowed to the ThunderClan cats as she sat down next to Mistypaw.

"Hello," Mosspaw purred to them.

Mosspaw only half-listen to the conversation that was being exchanged. Runningpaw and Mousepaw didn't ask her many questions, anyway. She couldn't help but have the image of Bluefur in her mind.

As she sat there, she wondered. Would she ever find out the truth? Or would she be lost hopeless curiosity forever?


	10. Battle At The Rocks

It was a moon since the Gathering. Mosspaw sat quietly at the riverside next to Stonepaw and Mistypaw. Willowbreeze, Crookedstar, and Petaldust crouched silently beside them.

Petaldust had been chosen to be Mistypaw's substitute mentor, since Leopardfur had moved to the nursery, expecting Whiteclaw's kits. Only recently had the Clan noticed the spotted tabby's growing belly.

Mosspaw stifled a purr at the thought of the fierce she-cat being a gentle, soothing mother.

The gray-and-white apprentice flicked her tail in anticipation. Crookedstar had announced that today would be the day when RiverClan would get Sunningrocks back from ThunderClan.

The RiverClan leader had said that he was hoping to talk things over to ThunderClan, but he had a back-up battle patrol hiding behind the reeds if ThunderClan refused to oblige.

_Knowing their stubbornness, we'll probably have no choice but to fight._

After what seemed like an eternity, a ThunderClan patrol padded out of the bushes. Mosspaw recognized Sunstar, Whitestorm, Mousepaw, Runningpaw, and…

Mosspaw dared not look at the next cat she spotted. It was Bluefur. She didn't want to be pressured to fight her mother, so she hoped that if she didn't look at her, she wouldn't have to worry about sinking her claws into the familiar blue-gray fur.

Crookedstar rose to his paws and dipped his head politely to the ThunderClan leader. "Greetings, Sunstar."

"Crookedstar." The bright-ginger tabby tom returned the greeting.

Crookedstar's pale gaze shifted to the Sunningrocks. "I see you're still attached to Sunningrocks."

"Yes, we are," Sunstar replied, his voice strong.

"Well, I'm sorry to say," Crookedstar began, "but it's time for RiverClan to reclaim Sunningrocks."

"So, Crookedstar," Sunstar meowed, a slight growl edging his voice, "you wish to go against the will of StarClan?"

"It was never the will of StarClan for the river to narrow. Sunningrocks has always belonged to RiverClan; ThunderClan just doesn't seem to understand that."

The neck furs of the ThunderClan patrol began to rise.

Sunstar flattened his ears. "If you want them, you'll have to fight for them."

"Sunstar," Crookedstar began calmly, "don't tell me you've forgotten the last time ThunderClan claimed Sunningrocks. You and your warriors came to our camp and talked things over with us. Now we will do the same. We have no quarrel with ThunderClan at the moment, and we don't plan to have one for a while."

"Spineless cowards!" Mousepaw spat at the RiverClan cats. Mosspaw saw Whitestorm swipe his tail in front of the dusky she-cat, his amber eyes hard.

_Whitestorm must be Mousepaw's mentor._

Out of the corner of her eye, Mosspaw saw Bluefur whisper something to Runningpaw. A heartbeat later, the slim tabby darted back into the bushes.

"I understand your intensions, Crookedstar," Sunstar meowed coolly, "Sunningrocks did belong to RiverClan when they were still an island, and thus you think you're all still entitled to them. But that was many moons ago. The rocks belong ThunderClan now, and there's _nothing_ you and your warriors can do about it."

"So you think," Crookedstar retorted, his tone now growing aggressive, "RiverClan, attack!"

At his call, the hiding cats bolted out of from the reeds and willows, Mosspaw, her littermates, and their mentors in the lead.

As the RiverClan cats crashed through the river, a huge group of ThunderClan met them head-on.

The sounds of battle entered Mosspaw's ears. Fur and blood flew, dotting the rocky ground of Sunningrocks.

Mosspaw tried her best to focus on the fight. She tried not to focus on anything else besides this battle. Especially not Bluefur.

She heard a screech to her left. Mosspaw recognized Mousepaw. The she-cat's bright eyes blazed with battle-hunger as she lunged for Mosspaw.

Mosspaw didn't back down. She darted up to her opponent and met her head-on. Claws flashed in front her. She let out a taunting hiss as her claws met Mousepaw's eyebrow.

Quick as the wind, she wove around her opponent's body, and bit down on her shoulder. Mosspaw heard Mousepaw yowl in pain, before feeling a sharp slash across her muzzle.

She reeled back. The wind rushed out of her as she hit the ground. She tried to stagger to her paws, but Mousepaw had her pinned.

_That move! That's it!_

She instantly remembered the battle move that Willowbreeze taught her the other day.

She flicked her tail back and forth, tickling Mousepaw's flank. The dusky-brown apprentice instinctively whipped her head around, trying to locate Mosspaw's gray tail.

_Perfect! She's distracted._

Mosspaw stretched her forepaws to the sides, pushing on the older apprentice's legs. Pushing outward, she made Mousepaw's legs slide out from under her compact body.

The small gray-and-white cat rolled out of the way before Mousepaw could fall on top of her. Bunching the muscles in her hind legs, she sprung at the dusky she-cat and sank her teeth into her scruff.

Using all her strength, Mosspaw threw Mousepaw into the shallows of the river. She charged over and pinned her opponent down before she could get up.

Mousepaw flailed under her paws. Mosspaw knew how much danger she was putting the ThunderClan cat into, so she understood that she should get off when Mousepaw started to fly from the offensive to the defensive.

Suddenly, she felt claws scrape her upper foreleg. She was instantly pulled back and off of Mousepaw. She saw her blood streak the gray ground as she hit it.

She looked up over her belly. A drenched Mousepaw was starting to return to her paws. A cat stood protectively in front of her. It was Whitestorm.

His amber eyes scalded Mosspaw's pelt. "Hasn't your mentor taught you the Warrior Code?" he spat at her, "A warrior doesn't kill unless it's absolutely necessary. Or are you RiverClan cats so desperate to get Sunningrocks back that you'd drown apprentices to get them?"

Mosspaw's heart pounded.

_I wasn't going to kill her!_

"Get off!"

Mistypaw's yowl snapped into Mosspaw's ears. She instantly got up, trying her best to locate her sister. She spotted her crouched on the ground. A tortoiseshell tom with a thick-furred, ginger tail had her pinned. Mosspaw recognized the tom as Redtail, one of ThunderClan's newest warriors.

The tom had his claws scored down Mistypaw's shoulders, leaving deep scars in her flesh. Mosspaw was about to rush over to help Mistypaw, but the apprentice heaved Redtail off of her before she could get to her.

_What about Stonepaw?_

Mosspaw made out her brother in the swath of fighting cats. Runningpaw was standing on Stonepaw's back, his front claws sinking into the dark-gray tom's pelt.

_His ears!_

The apprentice's ears were matted with blood. They looked more tattered and mutilated than a forest after a storm. The blood dripped down the sides of his head. He screamed with pain as Runningpaw shook his scruff violently.

Mosspaw grew enraged. No one hurt her kin on her watch! The rage tingling to the tips of her claws, Mosspaw sprang at the tabby apprentice. "Get your filthy claws off my brother, you wad of fish guts!" she yowled.

Runningpaw sprang off of Stonepaw as Mosspaw's claws met his muzzle. He grunted as he hit the ground. Mosspaw stood over him like hawk closing in on its kill. "Now you go crawl back to your mud hole, you little swamp rat!" she snarled. She slashed at the tom's slim shoulders when he didn't budge. "I said, _go_!"

Runningpaw instantly shot to his paws and started to flee to the trees of his Clan's territory. Mosspaw nipped at his heels to make sure he stayed away. She skidded to a halt once the tabby disappeared into the bushes.

"Yeah, that's right!" she spat scornfully, "Run away with your tail between your legs, _Running_mouse!" she heavily accented the "running" part of his name with her voice slathered in sour bile. With her tail high, she ran to Stonepaw's side. "You okay?" her voice suddenly swung from taunting to concerned.

Her brother nodded. "Wow, Mosspaw. I've never seen you so fierce."

The gray-and-white apprentice let out a flattered chuckle. "Swept up in the moment, I guess. Adrenaline rush, you know?"

Stonepaw shook his head. "Same old, modest Mosspaw." His voice grew more like his normal, bold self. "Still, I could've handled that thorn-pelt all on my own."

_Same old, foolhardy Stonepaw. _

Mosspaw rolled her eyes. "Right. And with that 'thorn-pelt' gnawing away at your skin?"

"As the biggest of our litter, it's obvious that I can fight my own battles." In a hushed mutter, he added, "Besides, what would Dawnpaw say if she saw my minnow of a sister swoop in and 'save' me whenever I'm fighting someone?"

Mosspaw stifled a purr. Stonepaw had muttered a little too loudly. "Oh, so this is about Dawnpaw, now, is it?" she teased, giving him a nudge.

"N-No!" Stonepaw stammered, "Who's Dawnpaw? I didn't mention Dawnpaw! What?" Mosspaw could tell by his reaction that her brother's pelt was growing red-hot.

"Hey, hey, calm down, lover-tom," Mosspaw mewed in a false-comforting tone, "It's nothing to be ashamed about. Who knows, maybe you'll be like a bullfrog and croak at her until she falls for you?"

Stonepaw stuffed his nose into Mosspaw's face. "Shouldn't we focus on the battle, and not the emotions for Dawnpaw that I do not have?" he added hastily.

Suddenly a loud screech silenced the battle. All the cats had their attention turned to the Sunningrocks. Crookedstar and Sunstar were snarling at each other, their hackles raised and claws glinting in the sunlight.

"Give it up, Crookedstar," Sunstar spat, "Sunningrocks belongs to ThunderClan!"

"My Clan will never give in!" Crookedstar spat, "We won't stop fighting until we get back what's rightfully ours!"

Snarling, Sunstar lunged forward. With all of his force, he slashed at Crookedstar's mangled jaw with his claws. Crookedstar yowled with pain, and Mosspaw realized that Sunstar's heavy blow had chipped one of the light-colored tabby's exposed teeth.

Standing shakily on his hind legs, Crookedstar staggered dangerously to the edge of Sunningrocks.

_He's going to fall!_

Mosspaw watched with horror as her uncle fell, head-first, over the edge. Half a heartbeat later, he struck the ground and went limp as a dead fish. A frosty chill crept down Mosspaw's spine when she heard the crack of Crookedstar's skull. Every cat held their breath as they waited for Crookedstar to get up.

He never did.

"Crookedstar!" Willowbreeze broke from the crowd and ran to her mate's side.

Stonepaw started to follow, but Mosspaw gripped his tail in her teeth. "Stonepaw, don't," she rasped through gritted teeth.

"Let go!" Stonepaw protested, "That's my mentor on the ground!"

"Please, Stonepaw, calm down," Mosspaw tried to reassure him, "Crookedstar will be all right."

_I hope so…_

Mosspaw saw Willowbreeze place her gray paw on Crookedstar's shoulder. "Crookedstar!" she cried as she shook him, "It's Willowbreeze. Snap out of it!"

Oakheart broke from the crowd. He crept to his brother's side, his eyes fearful. "He's not…he can't be…" The words seemed knotted in his throat.

Willowbreeze let out a shaky breath. "He's lost a life…" she rasped. She pressed her face into her Crookedstar's fur.

_Oh, no! That wasn't his last one, was it?_


	11. We Will Remain Strong

Sunstar jumped down from the Sunningrocks. His eyes were as wide as Oakheart's. Willowbreeze looked up and met the ThunderClan leader's gaze. Her lips instantly curled into a snarl.

She bounded toward Sunstar and skidded to a halt in front of him. Their noses almost touched, but only a fool would think it would've been out of affection.

"You no-good, cold-hearted, filthy-clawed, frog-dung-eating, rotten chunk of buzzard innards! You did this! You made him fall on his head! Do you realize how serious of a wound this is! He could've lost all of his lives at once! Why, you little-!"

Sunstar trembled under her stare. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to kill him. I swear!"

"Yeah, right, you piece of fox-dung! You take your stupid heap of warriors and get out of our territory! Now!"

There was a pause. Then Sunstar replied, "Fine. We'll leave. But the rocks are still ours."

"Oh, keep your StarClan-forsaken rocks! I'd rather see my mate alive than roll around on some stupid boulders! Now, _get out_!"

At Willowbreeze's yowl the cats of ThunderClan dashed away, Sunstar at the rear.

Willowbreeze collapsed next to her mate. Her rage had been thrown out; replaced by sorrow.

Mosspaw didn't know how to respond. Icy shock chilled her insides, making her feel like she was in a surreal dream…or nightmare, to get technical.

Suddenly, her mind was thrown back. Mosspaw got the familiar sensation of entering a vision.

She saw a shimmering Fourtrees, with four cats standing in front of the Great Rock. She recognized one of them as Crookedstar, but she couldn't recognize the other three.

One was a gray tom with thick fur. A second was a dusky-furred she-cat. The third was a gray tabby with long fur.

"It's a shame that this injury has cost you so many lives," the gray tom murmured.

"Yes," the she-cat agreed, "It seems like it was just yesterday when we gave you those lives."

"I'm just as shocked as you are," Crookedstar meowed. He glanced past the gray tabby. Mosspaw didn't see what he was staring at, until she saw the shape of a fifth cat.

Her heart skipped a beat as she recognized tabby stripes on a light-colored pelt. She also saw familiar pale-green eyes…and a striking, twisted jaw.

Crookedstar was staring a faint copy of himself.

_But…but how? Th-That's…_

"So," Crookedstar rumbled nonchalantly, "This is what happens when leaders lose their lives? A copy of them appears for every life? Where're the other two?"

_He's lost three lives!_

The gray tom replied, "You're looking at them, Crookedstar. Every time a Clan leader loses a life, their StarClan copy gets more and more visible. However, it will not be able to hear or speak until the ninth is lost."

A chill slithered down Mosspaw's spine like a water snake. Who knew that the spiritual life of a leader would be so complicated?

"Do…do you think this severe wound is a sign of some sort?" Crookedstar put in awkwardly, "Could it be because of-"

The gray tom gazed straight at the crooked-jawed tomcat. "No, Crookedstar. She has nothing to do with this. And this injury isn't a bad omen, either. I see a strong and healthy leadership ahead of you." With conviction in his voice, he added, "I know I made the right choice of naming you my deputy. You cannot let past sins trouble your mind."

"Yes, I understand."

The tabby tom stepped toward the RiverClan leader. "I believe it is time you returned to your Clan. You've frightened them enough."

With nods of agreement from the other two StarClan cats, the three dead warriors circled Crookedstar. As they placed their noses into his fur, Mosspaw flashed back into the present.

"Hello? Mosspaw?"

Blinking, Mosspaw saw a blue-tinted tail waving in front of her face. Mistypaw was standing in front of her.

"O-Oh! Mistypaw!" Mosspaw gasped, "Sorry, I didn't see you there."

_At least that's the truth._

Stonepaw, who was still next to her, titled his broad head. "You went off into a daze. Just like when-"

"I'm fine," Mosspaw cut him off, "I…I was just worried about Crookedstar."

Mistypaw's ears pricked. "Well, you shouldn't worry that much. He's getting up!"

Stonepaw breathed a sigh of relief. Mosspaw, too, felt glad that her leader hadn't lost all of his lives.

_Still, he lost three. From the way the StarClan cats talked, he must've had all of his lives. What leader goes from nine lives to six in one death?_

Willowbreeze was letting Crookedstar lean against her sleek shoulders as he regained his footing. She whispered sweet, soothing words into his ear, as would any mate. Mosspaw found it hard to believe that her mentor was yowling in a spitting rage at Sunstar several minutes ago.

As Crookedstar raised his head, Mosspaw got to see the injury that had taken a third of his lives. A chill ran down her spine as she saw the blood slowly trickle down her uncle's face.

"RiverClan," he addressed the remaining cats, despite his wound, "I'm terribly sorry. I cost us the victory. I lost a life, and ThunderClan still has Sunningrocks." His voice grew stronger and determined, "Still, we cannot let this loss get the best of us. RiverClan is a strong Clan, and always will be. We will be avenged, but not now. We need time to regain our strength and heal our wounds. When we are ready, we will take what is rightfully ours."

Yowls of approvals bellowed around Mosspaw.

With one last look over the battle scene, Crookedstar meowed, "Let's get back to camp."

xXx

The usual, excited welcoming committee that normally came after a battle did not come, to the battle patrol's surprise. Instead, they were greeted by grief.

Something had gone wrong.

A sorrowful wail came from the nursery. Mudfur stepped out of the patch of reeds. The brown tom didn't even look surprised to see the defeated warriors back. His amber eyes were opaque with sadness and his own sense of defeat.

"Mudfur," Crookedstar prompted the medicine cat, "What's wrong?"

"It's Leopardfur," Mudfur replied dejectedly, "While you were gone she…she went into labor."

A shocked ripple shook through the RiverClan cats.

"But her kits aren't due for another moon," rasped Sunfish, who stood in the back of the patrol.

"I know," Mudfur rasped, "The kits still came…but I couldn't save them. They were gone before they even took their first breaths."

"How many were there?" Whitefang asked.

"Two of them. A tom and a she-kit."

Crookedstar padded forward and gently rested his tail on the RiverClan medicine cat's shoulders. "Brightsky will take care of them now." Mosspaw knew he was referring to Mudfur's mate and Leopardfur's mother. The brown tom had taken the ginger-and-white she-cat as his mate when he was a warrior, but became a medicine cat after she had died.

The light-colored tabby addressed his Clan. "We will mourn over Leopardfur and Whiteclaw's kits soon. But first there is a warrior ceremony I wish to perform."

Mosspaw's heart rushed. Could it be her and her littermates that would be named warriors? She pushed the thought away. When was the last time an apprentice was named a warrior after training for a moon-and-a-half?

Crookedstar didn't have to call the Clan to the meeting stump. They were already gathered around.

"I was watching two of our apprentices in the battle at Sunningrocks today, and I believe their time had come to give them their warrior names. Blackpaw and Skypaw, please come forward."

The oldest apprentices stepped before the Clan leader. Mosspaw saw their parents, Piketooth and Shimmerpelt, gazing at them proudly.

"I, Crookedstar, leader of RiverClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon these two apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn. Blackpaw, Skypaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your lives?"

"I do!" The pale-brown tabby she-cat answered, squeaking like a kit.

"I do," the black tom meowed, his meow more solemn.

"Then by the power of StarClan, I now give you your warrior names. Blackpaw, from this moment you will be known as Blackclaw. StarClan honors your bravery and strength, and welcomes you as a full warrior of RiverClan. Skypaw, from this moment on you will be known as Skyheart. StarClan honors you loyalty and kindness, and welcomes you as a full warrior of RiverClan."

"Blackclaw! Skyheart! Blackclaw! Skyheart!"

RiverClan cheered the names of the newest warriors with pride and excitement.

"That's going to be us one day," Mosspaw heard Stonepaw whisper in her ear.

_Yes. That will be us. And one day, that might be me giving apprentices their warrior names. StarClan, let it happen…_

Mosspaw's ears pricked up in surprise when she saw Mistypaw rush over to the two newest warriors. The blue-gray she-cat pressed her nose to Blackclaw's. A heartbeat later, her eyes widened and she jumped back, her pelt raised. Mosspaw could tell that her sister was flushing from nose to tail.

"S-Sorry!" she squeaked, "Er, congratulations, Blackclaw. You too, Skyheart."

Skyheart dipped her head in warm reply. As new warriors, they would be holding a silent vigil that would start from the moment they received their new names.

Mosspaw shot a glance at Blackclaw. The dark-colored warrior was obviously trying to keep his composure. His amber eyes were flashing with embarrassment, and his long tail flicked slightly.

"Mistypaw's acting really flighty around Blackclaw," Stonepaw remarked, "Like a moonstruck dove."

"Yes," Mosspaw agreed, her whiskers twitching, "Kind of reminds you of a certain dark-gray tom, doesn't it?"

Stonepaw said nothing, but Mosspaw could easily imagine his ears twitching.

Mosspaw thought back to Leopardfur's stillborn litter; then to the new Blackclaw and Skyheart. She knew that with the battle at Sunningrocks lost and kits that had been born dead, RiverClan at the moment was weakened. Still, it had new warriors and eager apprentices awaiting their turn to receive their names.

_Times will get hard, but we will go on. RiverClan will always be strong._


	12. Confrontation

Two moons had passed since the battle at Sunningrocks. The green leaves on ThunderClan's trees were starting to turn yellowish-orange. Leaf-fall had come.

Mosspaw was curled up into the comfort of her nest. Stonepaw and Mistypaw slept beside her. The littermates' chests rose and fell simultaneously as they slept.

The gray-and-white apprentice twitched in her nest. She had suddenly grown uncomfortable. The softness of the moss in her nest had seemed to have disappeared, replaced by barren, dirty earth.

Slowly, Mosspaw opened her eyes. They went wide. She jumped to her paws, her soft pelt standing on end.

_Great StarClan!_

The scene around her was too familiar. The blackened, stunted trees…the bare ground…the eerie mist that swept through the forest…the empty night sky…the horrible reek of crow-food…

_I'm not here! I can't be _here_!_

Her mind flooded with the memory of a resident of this forest feeding her and her littermates a corrupted turtle dove. Stonepaw and Mistypaw had eaten it, and she would've, too, if Snowfur hadn't come and saved her.

Her claws scraping the ground, Mosspaw tried to focus her thoughts. She had to find a way out of here. No, she had to _wake up_.

But she ran out of time.

"Greetings, Mosspaw."

The RiverClan cat whipped around. Bile rose in her throat as she recognized a matted ginger-and-white pelt, scarred head, and piercing yellow eyes.

"Mapleshade!"

"So you haven't forgotten me," the vicious she-cat rumbled.

Mosspaw stood her ground. "What do you want?" she spat.

"Oh, dearest Mosspaw," Mapleshade murmured, "is no cat beyond redemption?"

Mosspaw titled her head to the side. "Huh?"

Mapleshade replied, "I've been thinking about what I did eight moons ago, and I realized what a horrible mistake I made. I put you, Stonepaw, and Mistypaw in danger, and now those two don't even know who their real mother is. StarClan, forgive me."

Mosspaw wasn't convinced. Something told her that Mapleshade was bluffing. "What's your point?"

"My point is that I want to make it up to you," Mapleshade's gaze was intense; "You have kept your knowledge of Bluefur because you didn't eat the bird."

"Go on."

"Well, you can use the shock, confusion, and pain to your advantage. It's like turning your opponent's move against them in a battle." The ginger-and-white she-cat started to circle her. "Use the emotion. Let it bubble up inside you until it blossoms into something more."

Mosspaw's ears were pricked. "Something…more?"

"Yes, Mosspaw. Let the confusion turn into _determination_. Let the shock turn into _rage_. Let the pain turn into _vengefulness_. You can let Bluefur know how much pain she caused you. You can take _revenge_ her."

"Revenge?" Mosspaw echoed. She was trying to be as inquisitive as she most possibly could. She had to dig down into Mapleshade's thoughts. She had to know her true intentions.

"Yes," Mapleshade's voice had grown as smooth as poison honey, "You can channel your vengefulness into your claws and let them slash at Bluefur's pelt. You can tear everything she loves into pieces. Make their blood spill at her paws until her heart shatters in two. And finally, when it looks like the worst has come to her, you can finish her off once and for all!"

Mosspaw flattened her ears. Now she knew. Mapleshade had full intent on watching Mosspaw torture her own mother. Anger started to sear under the apprentice's pelt. Torturing Bluefur was the last thing she wanted to do.

"And I can help you," Mapleshade went on, "I can train you unique battle moves. You'd visit here every night in your dreams. Oh, just think of it, Mosspaw! Think of all the battle moves you'll learn! You'll be the strongest cat in RiverClan! No, the strongest cat in the _Clans_! All you have to do is say 'yes'!" The shady warrior was squeaking like a kit. Mosspaw could tell she was forcing herself to sound as enthusiastic as she possibly could, while she was really being as sly as a vixen.

Mosspaw held her ground. Staring Mapleshade directly in the eye, she made her answer. "I'm not looking for revenge. I'm looking for _answers_." She brushed past the older she-cat. "I'm sorry, Mapleshade, but the answer is no."

She started to walk away. She wasn't sure where she was going. Possibly to StarClan's hunting grounds where she could be safe with Snowfur until she woke up? Just somewhere away from the scheming she-cat.

Suddenly, something flashed in front of Mosspaw, stirring her whiskers. Mapleshade stood in front of her. The apprentice's heart thudded as she saw the rage scorching in the bicolor cat's eyes. "You don't know the huge mistake you've made, do you?"

"M-Mis-Mistake?" Mosspaw stuttered.

"_Mistake_," Mapleshade repeated, spitting out the word, "You'll regret this day, Mosspaw. I swear by the hairs on my pelt, you will."

Fear zapped Mosspaw like a lightning bolt. Adrenaline pumped through her arteries, mixing with her blood, and sending her muscles to the point where they could instantly spring into action. She had to get away.

Mosspaw started to dart to the side of Mapleshade, but the evil cat was faster. She raked her claws across Mosspaw's hind thigh. The apprentice was bowled over by the force. She hadn't even had a chance to get back up before Mapleshade sank her teeth into her shoulder, pushing her farther against the ground. She winced as Mapleshade's claws met her forehead.

_She's going to kill me!_

Mosspaw kicked back, her hind claws unsheathed. Hope filled her as she tore at Mapleshade's flank. She stretched her foreleg and raked one of her foe's wide shoulders.

Mapleshade reared back, yowling from the pain. Using the warrior's position to her advantage, Mosspaw darted forward and tackled her belly.

She had Mapleshade pinned.

_I did it. I've won!_

"You can't win that easily!" Mapleshade's voice surprised Mosspaw. The ginger-and-white warrior slashed across the apprentice's belly. Mosspaw screamed from the pain. She staggered ungracefully off of Mapleshade.

She hit the ground, her stomach stinging from Mapleshade's claws. The next thing Mosspaw new, Mapleshade was standing over her. She let in a ragged, trembling breath as the dead cat leaned forward and whispered in her ear.

"I told you you'd regret this day."

Suddenly, pain exploded through Mosspaw's body, making the tips of her paws twitch with agony. Mapleshade had bitten directly onto the spot where she had clawed Mosspaw's stomach. The apprentice yowled as the evil warrior tore the skin and fur off of the injury, leaving a flesh wound that trickled out blood.

Mosspaw's face winced with pain, and then it all went dark.

xXx

"Mosspaw! Mosspaw, wake up! Mosspaw!"

Mosspaw's eyes flew open. She coughed, spitting out droplets of blood. Her entire body ached from the fight with Mapleshade.

Mistypaw was crouched over her, her ice-blue eyes wide with horror. "Mosspaw! You're bleeding!"

Mosspaw looked weakly over her shoulder, her eyes resting on her belly. The flesh wound that Mapleshade had given her was still there, along with all the other scratches she had received.

_But how?_

Her head flopped back, and she coughed again, saliva trickling out of her mouth.

"Is she going to be okay?" Mosspaw heard Mallowpaw's concerned mew from the other side of the apprentice's den.

"What in StarClan's name happened to her?"

Mosspaw looked past Mistypaw to the source of the voice. It was Stonepaw. He sat, his dark-gray pelt fluffed out, next to Dawnpaw. He looked like he was about to be sick.

Mistypaw turned to him. "Stonepaw, don't just sit there like a mouse-brain! Go get Mudfur!"

Stonepaw shot up. "Oh, right! I'll be right back!" He bolted out of the apprentice's den with the speed of a WindClan cat.

Mistypaw had leaned forward to Mosspaw's ear. "Can you hear me, Mosspaw?" she whispered.

Mosspaw gave a meek nod.

"It was so weird," the blue-gray apprentice went on in a low voice, "I woke up early, and heard you mumbling in your sleep. I thought you were just dreaming, but then you started twitching, like you were scared. And those scratches! They just appeared out of nowhere! It was like an invisible cat had clawed you."

Mosspaw's head spun with light-headedness and confusion. What kind of dream was that? And why did she wake up with the scratches Mapleshade had given her?

"I'm here!"

A mottled head broke through the entrance to the apprentices' den. Mudfur had arrived. He made his way briskly inside, followed by Oakheart, Graypool, and Stonepaw.

Graypool's eyes widened when she saw Mosspaw. Oakheart's fur stood up. Stonepaw crept back to Dawnpaw for his close friend's comfort.

Mistypaw rushed over to Graypool's side, burying her nose into her adopted mother's fur. "She's going to be okay, right?" she mewled.

Graypool didn't say anything.

Mudfur was gently stroking Mosspaw's stained flank with his tail. He gently applied poultices to the wounds. Mosspaw clenched her teeth as the antibiotic juices seeped into her stinging, tender flesh.

The medicine cat pushed a clump of herbs to Mosspaw's muzzle. "Eat these," he instructed, "They're dandelion leaves. They should take the pain away." Tentatively, Mosspaw stretched her tongue to the leaves and pulled them into her mouth. Not long after she had swallowed, Mudfur held his paw out to her, tiny black seeds dotting his pads. "These poppy seeds ought to help you relax." Mosspaw licked them from Mudfur's pads. She instantly felt more comfortable. Her breathing slowed, and her eyes started to close.

"She's dying!" she heard Mallowpaw squeak.

"No, she's not," Mudfur reassured the brown-and-white she-cat, "It's just the poppy seeds I gave her. They'll make her sleep."

She heard pawsteps coming toward her, and picked up the scent of Oakheart. She felt his muzzle press against her cheek. "Be strong, my little warrior," he whispered, "You'll be all right."

_I'll be…all right…Oakheart...Bluefur…_

At that moment, her mind sunk away as sleep regained its hold onto her.

Mosspaw felt a sandpapery tongue rasping her face. For a heartbeat, she thought she was a kit in the nursery. But then she picked up a scent of the cat grooming her. It wasn't Graypool. Not even Bluefur.

She opened her eyes. She was in a forest with glowing trees, but these trees were glowing with shimmering starlight. The sky was opened up with a thousand glistening stars. Beneath her, thick green grass grew.

She was in StarClan's hunting grounds.

She looked at the cat who was grooming her. The white coat…the gray ear-tips…the blue eyes…they were all too familiar.

"Snowfur!" she purred, pressing her nose into the StarClan warrior's long fur, "It's so good to see you!"

"And you, Mosspaw," Snowfur purred back.

Mosspaw gazed into Snowfur's shining eyes, blue meeting blue. "Snowfur…I came here after Mapleshade wounded me. This is StarClan's hunting grounds, isn't it? It looks just like it did the last time I was here. I-I'm not dead, am I?"

Snowfur shook her head. "No, Mosspaw. You're just asleep."

Mosspaw let out a sigh of relief. She saw Snowfur's eyes flicker with regret.

"What is it?"

"I promised I'd keep you safe from her…" the white warrior murmured.

"It's okay," Mosspaw comforted Snowfur, "I'm safe now, aren't I? Mapleshade didn't kill me, and Mudfur's healing my wounds. I'll be fine."

"But she still harmed you," Snowfur protested.

"But a warrior needs _some_ battle experience," Mosspaw put in, trying her hardest to make her friend feel better, "You can't protect me from everything."

Snowfur looked up. "When did you become so wise?"

Mosspaw was taken back. "M-Me? Wise? Oh, no! I…I'm just saying what I think is right." Hoping to change the subject, she mewed, "Why did Mapleshade want to harm me in the first place? What threat am I to her?"

Snowfur wrapped her thick tail around Mosspaw. The apprentice felt a calm security, sunken into the StarClan cat's fur. "You're not a _threat_, Mosspaw," Snowfur began, "It's just that Mapleshade is dangerously vengeful."

Mosspaw's ears pricked. "Why? What happened to her?"

Snowfur blinked at her. "It's a very long story. So, instead of _telling_ you…" She leaned forward and touched her nose to Mosspaw's.

Mosspaw's mind exploded with visions.

Visions of a tiny Mapleshade in the nursery…

Of her training to be a warrior…

Of her sitting her warrior vigil with her littermates…

Of her twining her tail with a tom with a speckled, dark pelt…

Of her being exiled from her Clan, her belly heavy with kits…

Of her scowling at the dark-pelted tom as he nuzzled a beautiful queen…

Of young kits flailing in rushing water…

Of her huddled over those kits, their forms drenched and still…

Of her living her last moons filled with hate and anger…

Mosspaw blinked. The countless images had made her head whirl.

"Mapleshade had fallen in love with a cat from another Clan, and was exiled when her Clan found out, as you saw. Do you remember that other she-cat Mapleshade's mate was nuzzling?"

Mosspaw nodded.

"He had left Mapleshade so he could stop breaking the warrior code. He had fallen in love again with that other she-cat. And of course, they had kits. And Mapleshade gave birth to hers as a heartbroken rogue. While hers had died in a flood, her former mate's daughter lived to be a warrior, and had kits of her own, one of them becoming a tom named Shellheart."

Mosspaw's heart thudded. "Shellheart…I know that name! I saw a tom named Shellheart in one of my visions! He's the father of…"

"Crookedstar and Oakheart," Snowfur finished for her, "And you are Oakheart's daughter."

"I'm related to Mapleshade's former mate!" Mosspaw squeaked. She thought of the dark-pelted tom that Mapleshade had fallen in love with. She instantly thought of the dark-gray pelt of Stonepaw.

Snowfur slowly nodded. "And because of that, Mapleshade thinks it is right to inflict her sins onto you…and your littermates. The turtle dove was one of her schemes." Her eyes darkened. "It wouldn't be the first time she tried to curse your father's side of your lineage."

Mosspaw started to open her mouth, to ask the white she-cat what she meant, when she suddenly entered a vision.

She saw a tiny Crookedstar, Crookedkit from his broken jaw. He was sitting next to Mapleshade, his eyes were shining expectantly up at her.

_Why is he there with her? She's dangerous!_

"You must promise me that you will be loyal to your Clan above all other things," Mapleshade was murmuring to the crippled young tom, "What you want for yourself is nothing compared to the needs of your Clan. Nothing, remember? Do you make that promise?"

_Say no!_

"Of course!" Crookedkit squeaked.

A heartbeat later, Mosspaw was staring back at Snowfur. The StarClan cat's eyes were round and she stared directly at Mosspaw. "You had a vision?" she queried.

"Yes," Mosspaw replied shakily, "I…I saw Crookedstar, or Crookedkit, really, with Mapleshade. Why was he with her?" Suspicion started to well up inside Mosspaw. Could her leader, her own kin, be working with that monster in a ginger-and-white coat?

"I can understand your worries," Snowfur mewed gently, "But there's nothing to be afraid of. Crookedstar's choice was in the past. He is not a fool. He will turn away from Mapleshade, if he hasn't already. The reason he accepted her promise is because she 'promised' him greatness. RiverClan wasn't respecting him as much as they did before he had his injury."

"But they respect him now," Mosspaw mewed, "He's their leader!"

"He wasn't their leader then," Snowfur put in.

"Well, yes, but-" Mosspaw stopped herself. She had another question that she wanted to ask Snowfur. Something that she had wanted to know from the moment they had met.

"Snowfur," she began, "Why do you always feel the need to protect me? You never knew me. You had died before I was born. So, why do you feel so close to me?"

The white warrior pressed close to Mosspaw, her sweet scent wreathing around the young gray-and-white cat.

"Because I am your mother's sister."


	13. A Vengeful Threat

Mosspaw crouched by the riverside. She fluffed up her soft fur as a leaf-fall chill crept through her pelt to her skin. For a heartbeat, Mosspaw was filled with dread. It would be leaf-bare soon; a whole year since Bluefur, who was now Bluestar, had given her and her littermates to Oakheart.

_I'm nearly a year old. That means I'll be a warrior soon!_

She sunk her claws into the rocky ground with excitement. She couldn't wait to receive her name. It'd be one step closer to becoming Clan leader.

Mosspaw shook her head.

_No, focus! Leave the future in the future. For now, you have to work in the present._

She had barely noticed the tiny minnow that flickered about in the shallows. Mosspaw instantly got into position. She leaned her head back, but her eyes were locked onto the minnow.

_I can't let it see me._

She lifted her paw, but it must have noticed her. Twice as quick as lightning, it flicked away into deeper, darker water.

"Frog-dung!" Mosspaw spat.

Out of nowhere, Mosspaw felt a shove on her hindquarters. She tried to look behind her and see who it was, but she fell into the water before she could make out the other cat.

It was dark chaos. Mosspaw was being knocked around in every direction. She tried to push up to the surface, but she was instantly pushed back down. She felt as though she was being battered by a thousand invisible, cold, wet paws.

Just before she thought she was going to pass out from air loss, her body brushed ground. She had reached the bank.

She felt teeth grip her scruff. Relief filled her. One of the warriors probably found her and pulled her to safety. Ungracefully, Mosspaw spat out mouthfuls of water and slowly opened her eyes. "Thank you so ver-"

Her voice halted. The cat that has saved her wasn't a RiverClan warrior. The spiked fur and threatening glare were all too familiar.

It was Thistleclaw.

"Well, well, well," he rumbled, "What do we have here? Why, it's the apprentice from several Gatherings ago! Mosspaw, isn't it?"

"Yes. I-I'm sorry for crossing into your territory," Mosspaw apologized quickly, "It was an accident, I swear!"

Thistleclaw flicked his ear. "Accident?"

"Yes! The river carried me here. I couldn't control myself enough to swim."

Thistleclaw snorted. "A RiverClan cat? Unable to swim? Do you take me for a fool, Mosspaw? Now, what is your _real _reason for crossing the border?"

"I just told you, you stubborn badger!" Mosspaw spat.

Thistleclaw shrugged. "It's not like I don't already know." With a scalding, sneering glare he added, "You were homesick."

Mosspaw's chest clamped up.

_Homesick?_

Thistleclaw started to circle her. "Yes, _homesick_," Thistleclaw meowed, as if he could read her thoughts, "You missed the oaks and brambles of ThunderClan territory. Furthermore, you missed your _mother_."

"I-I don't what you're talking about," Mosspaw snapped, trying her best to hide Bluestar's secret. "Graypool's my mother."

Thistleclaw let out a bout of sarcastic laughter. "Graypool's your mother, eh? Ha! I know your real bloodline. I've known it since our confrontation when we met."

Mosspaw stared at him, her heart nearing explosion.

"I noticed it from the moment you snarled at me," the spiky tom continued, "No regular RiverClan apprentice would so valiantly wish to defend a deputy that she had never met. At first, I thought you were just trying to be idiotically noble, but I was wrong. I saw you with your littermates, and it occurred to me. Your name is Mosspaw, and your littermates' names are Mistypaw and Stonepaw, yes?"

Relcutantly, Mosspaw nodded.

"Well, last leaf-bare, ThunderClan's honorable leader, Bluestar, had lost her three precious kits. And can you guess what those kits' names were? Mistykit, Stonekit, and Mosskit."

"Th-That doesn't mean anything!" Mosspaw blurted, "That's just a coincidence! Graypool is my mother and Oakheart is my father! I'm pure RiverClan!"

"I'm not an idiot, Mosspaw," Thistleclaw growled softly. His voice suddenly blaring into a high-pitched screech, he yowled, "I'll make the river run red with your blood!"

Unable to escape, Mosspaw was bowled over by Thistleclaw. The ThunderClan warrior dug his thorn-sharp claws into the apprentice's pelt. "Let me _go_!" she yowled.

"Oh, no, Mosspaw," Thistleclaw snarled, "Not when I'm so close."

"Close to what?"

"Your mother stole everything from me. My mate's life, my son's strength, and, most importantly, my rightful place as the supreme leader of ThunderClan. If she thinks she can go on safely as ThunderClan's leader, she's wrong. I'll taste the sweet tang of revenge. I'll kill all three of you, and leave your pathetic bodies at Bluestar's paws!"

Suddenly, gaining strength, Mosspaw heaved herself upward, throwing Thistleclaw off of her. He let out a hiss as his body thudded against the rocky ground. Despite her fear, Mosspaw assumed the threat position. "I won't let you harm my kin, Thistleclaw!" she spat.

Thistleclaw staggered to his paws, his amber eyes blazing. "Look at you! Trying to be so noble! Well, nobility can't save you now!" His claws outstretched, he lunged for her.

_What can I do?_

Then it hit her. She was standing directly in front of Sunningrocks. If she could dodge Thistleclaw's attack, then he would hit the rock. While he'd be stunned, she could run and get help.

Following her plan, Mosspaw darted just in time to escape the gray-and-white warrior's claws.

Suddenly, she heard a thud and the sickening crack of bone.

Mosspaw whipped around.

_What happened?_

Thistleclaw was lying in a heap at the base of Sunningrocks. From the look of it, he didn't appear to be moving…or breathing.

"Th-Thistleclaw…?" she choked out. Fighting off the urge to flee, Mosspaw crept closer to him. Her eyes widened in horror. The tom's head was bleeding from a laceration between his eyes. Blood streamed down his face, turning the white fur red. Mosspaw was so-sickeningly reminded of Crookedstar's accident. The only thing different was that his eyes were wide open, but glazed, and his lips were still curled into a snarl.

Mosspaw's head reeled. She had caused his death.

_Calm down. Calm down. It's okay. It was just self-defense. I'll be okay._

"_Mosspaw._"

Her head still spinning, Mosspaw looked over her shoulder.

Snowfur stood two fox-lengths away from her, her blue eyes fixed on Thistleclaw. Mosspaw was taken aback by level of grief in the blue depths of her aunt's eyes. "_He never should've attacked you…_" she murmured.

Mosspaw couldn't help but notice that the StarClan cat's voice was laced with guilt, as if it was her who had caused Thistleclaw's death.

Snowfur padded up to Thistleclaw and pushed her nose into his fur. "_It was your rage that destroyed you,_ _my love. And, now, it is cost you your place in StarClan._"

_Place in StarClan? Does that mean Thistleclaw's spirit will walk in Mapleshade's forest?_

Snowfur turned to Mosspaw. "_I'm so sorry for what Thistleclaw has caused you,_" she meowed.

Mosspaw smiled a little. "It's okay. It's not your fault."

Snowfur stepped forward. Mosspaw noticed that even the starlight in her eyes seemed to reflect sadness. "_He's wanted to hurt Bluestar ever since my death. The two of them never truly saw eye-to-eye, but…_" Snowfur shook her head. "_This is all I can do for you._" The white warrior leaned forward and touched her nose to Mosspaw's. She instantly felt the stinging of Thistleclaw's scratch marks fading. Snowfur then touched her tail-tip to Thistleclaw's pelt, and Mosspaw noticed the tufts of her fur between his claws fading away.

"_You shouldn't be blamed for something you didn't do,_" Snowfur mewed, before fading away.

Shock still whipped through Mosspaw's head. She had caused Thistleclaw's death. If she hadn't stupidly stumbled onto ThunderClan's bank, he would still have been alive.

_But I hadn't stumbled onto ThunderClan's side. Something was attacking me underwater. But what?_

Suddenly, Mosspaw heard a sinister purr behind her. She whipped around, and caught her breath in her throat when she saw Mapleshade.

"_What did I tell you, you stupid apprentice?_" the Dark Forest cat snarled, "_I told you you'd regret that day. You may think you're safe now, but you're wrong. Snowfur may be able to protect you from Thistleclaw and me, but she can't protect you from sorrow."_

"S-Sorrow?"

"_Yes. You are a curse to the Clans, Mosspaw. You were always meant to die on the leaf-bare night. But your stubbornness let you live, and now, it shall cost you._" Slinking closer, she added,"_You will lose all the cats you care for. One by one, they will fall dead at your paws, and there's nothing that you can do about it._"

"Don't you _dare_ hurt my kin!" Mosspaw snarled.

"_Oh?_" Mapleshade rumbled, "_Who said that I will finish them off?_"

Her claws extended, Mosspaw lunged for Mapleshade. But her claws slammed against rock. Mapleshade had disappeared.

Mosspaw hung her head, her talons digging angrily into the ground.

_I won't let anything happen to my loved ones. I swear by StarClan, I'll protect them or die trying!_

"You hear me, Mapleshade?" Mosspaw yowled, "You'll never win! If you want to get to my kin, you'll have to take me down first!"


	14. Moonlit Milestone

Mosspaw stood next to Mistypaw in the middle of the camp. Her heart thudded. She felt like she was descending into paranoia. Every time she left the camp, she felt like Thistleclaw or Mapleshade would jump out from behind.

Mapleshade's ominous words still echoed in her head, despite it being a moon since Thistleclaw's death. She shot a glance at Mistypaw. How could she bare to lose her? Mosspaw winced, her claws scraping the peaty soil. She wouldn't let anything happen to her.

She looked over her shoulder to Stonepaw, who was eagerly sharing tongues with Dawnpaw…again. It seemed like the only thing he did in his spare time was run his tongue along the older apprentice's pelt. Still, she wouldn't let anything happen to him, either.

Mistypaw must've looked, too, because she whispered in Mosspaw's ear, "Dear StarClan, don't they know that apprentices can't have kits?" She looked at Mosspaw when she didn't answer. "Have you been feeling okay?" she asked, "You've been more skittish than a minnow lately."

"I'm fine," Mosspaw answered quickly.

Mistypaw's ear-tip flicked. She obviously wasn't convinced.

"I'm just excited," Mosspaw added, cracking a smile, "We'll be warriors soon."

"I know!" Mistypaw's tail shot up, "I can't wait to be a warrior!"

The reeds of the medicine den rustled. Mudfur stepped out, carrying traveling herbs in his jaws. He placed the strong-smelling herbs at Mistypaw's and Mosspaw's paws. "Eat these," he told them, "Willowbreeze and Leopardfur have already had their share. I'll get a few leaves for Stonepaw, too."

_Did I just see concern flicker in his eyes?_

But before Mosspaw could ask him what was wrong, the mottled tom returned to his den.

Excitement made Mosspaw's neck fur twitch. She, her littermates, and their mentors would accompany Crookedstar to the Moonstone, a mysterious, glimmering rock that holds a special connection with StarClan. It would be another milestone on the path to be a warrior.

Mistypaw gave the leaves a sniff. "Yuck!" her pretty face wrinkled in disgust. "These smell _disgusting_!"

Mosspaw rolled her eyes. It was just like Mistypaw to act half her age. "If Mudfur says they're okay to eat, then we'll have to believe him." Tentatively, she clasped the leaves in her jaws, chewed, and swallowed. She quivered at the bitter taste.

Mistypaw cringed as she ate her share. "This must be what ShadowClan prey tastes like," she grumbled after she had swallowed.

Mosspaw looked back to Stonepaw. She wondered how her proud brother would take to the herbs. It was obvious that the dark-gray tom was trying to stop himself from cringing.

_He wants to look strong for Dawnpaw._

"Hey, Blackclaw!"

Mosspaw leaped at Mistypaw's excited yowl. The muscular black tom was padding over to a very pleased Mistypaw, his long tail flicking.

"Did you hear?" Mistypaw squeaked, "We're going to the Moonstone!"

"Er, yes," Blackclaw meowed flatly, glancing around, "I'm sure the rest of the forest heard, too."

Mosspaw twitched her ears. Blackclaw was being the usual grump he always was. But Mistypaw didn't take his words as being grumpy. In fact, she was purring with amusement. "Yeah, probably," she mewed.

Mosspaw shot a glance at Blackclaw, and stared into his deep-yellow eyes. Just in the corners, to her surprise, was a tiny twinge of amusement and affection.

_Well, I'll be a dog's fresh-kill! Blackclaw's actually able to show some positive emotions!_

"What's the Moonstone like?" Mistypaw asked him.

Blackclaw's ears twitched. "I can't say."

Mistypaw looked disappointed. "Why not?"

Mosspaw could pick a fraction of a hint of a chuckle coming from Blackclaw's throat. "It should be a surprise for every apprentice. Besides, it's called 'Moonstone'; it shouldn't be too vague for you."

Without another word, the dark-furred tom padded away before Mistypaw could ask him another question. Mistypaw gave Blackclaw one last affectionate glance before turning to Mosspaw. "What do _you_ think the Moonstone's like?"

Mosspaw fiddled with a blade of grass using her claw. "From the way Blackclaw said it, it has to be obvious. Could it be a rock that fell from the moon?"

Mistypaw flicked her tail. "Ha! A rock from the moon? There aren't any rocks on the moon, silly! Everyone knows that!"

Mosspaw gave a questioning look at her sister. "Well, if the moon isn't a rock, what _is_ it?"

"It's…" Mistypaw's voice trailed off, "Um…I…I don't know! It's probably just a light! Like the stars!"

Out of the corner of her eye, Mosspaw saw Graypool pad over to them, letting out a purr of greeting. "What are you two bickering about?" Despite her stern words, her amber eyes glimmered with humor.

"We were just discussing what the moon's made of," Mistypaw answered instantly, "Mosspaw thinks the moon's a rock. Isn't that silly?"

Graypool shrugged. "I remember the elders told me a legend when I was kit. It was about two warriors in the time of the Three Ancient Clans. One was a lioness named Sunblaze and the other was a leopardess named Moonmist. They were best friends when they were young, but were forced to end their friendship since they were in different Clans. They gave each other the same reserved approach we give cats from other Clans today, but once Sunblaze caused the death of Moonmist's mate, it all went downhill. Moonmist grew to hate Sunblaze, and they never spoke to each other again. Once they died, their spirits didn't become stars. They became one with the sun and moon. Sunblaze's golden pelt shines with the sun, and Moonmist's spots show in the dark, blotchy patches on the moon. Every day and night they fight each other. Moonmist pins down Sunblaze, pushing her under the horizon, and brings about the night. But Sunblaze throws her off and regains her strength, bringing about the day."

Mistypaw yawned. "_Boring_. We're nearly warriors now. We don't have time to listen nursery tales, right, Mosspaw?"

Mosspaw shrugged. "A legend can be interesting from time to time. I always liked hearing the words of our ancestors repeated to us."

Mistypaw rolled her eyes. "That's just like you, Mosspaw. You always want to sit back and learn stuff while the rest of us our out in the middle of the action."

"That's just how I am."

"I know. And there's nothing wrong with that. But sometimes, I feel like I'm talking to a wise, old elder rather than my ten-moon-old sister."

Mosspaw couldn't tell if that was an insult or a compliment. But before she could reply, Crookedstar padded up to them. "Are you ready?" he mewed.

Mosspaw nodded. Mistypaw blinked up at the leader. "Have you eaten your herbs?" she asked him.

"I cannot eat if I am to share tongues with StarClan," Crookedstar explained. He lifted his head and called out to his apprentice. "Stonepaw!"

Stonepaw, who was running his tongue down a heavily-purring Dawnpaw's neck, shot to his paws. His eyes glittered with self-consciousness, as if he was slightly embarrassed at the thought of someone seeing him and Dawnpaw. "Y-Yes, Crookedstar?" His voice had lowered even more, signifying his adolescence.

"It's time we set off for Highstones."

Stonepaw nodded, and with an affectionate "I'll see you later" to Dawnpaw, joined the group.

Mistypaw's eyes flashed at the dark-gray tom. "They have dens for that kind of stuff, you know." She was obviously indicating the heavy affection the two apprentices were displaying.

Stonepaw cuffed his sister's ears. "Shut up. We were just sharing tongues. Every cat does it." From his hastily defensive tone, Mosspaw could easily picture his skin turning red-hot.

Mistypaw leaned to Mosspaw and whispered in her ear, "Looks like they were sharing something else, too."

"Crookedstar, wait!" Mudfur bounded over to the Clan leader. "Are you sure you want to go today?" he asked, "The wind is quick and smells of ShadowClan pines, and Fallowtail and Ottersplash were complaining about the cold. I think a snowstorm is coming."

"I think we'll be fine, Mudfur," Crookedstar replied, "It is leaf-bare, after all. I'm sure we'd just have a regular snowfall, if anything. And if we do run into a storm, we'll do our best to take shelter."

Mudfur was silent for a moment. "Okay," he finally sighed, "But be careful."

Crookedstar nodded to the medicine cat.

Mudfur slipped around the group until he finally faced Leopardfur. "Please be careful," he whispered to his daughter.

"Of course," Leopardfur murmured. "Brightsky will watch over me."

"She's always watched over the both of us," Mudfur murmured in agreement. With one last lick of the spotted she-cat's forehead, Mudfur stepped aside.

"Let's get going," Crookedstar meowed.

At his order, the Highstones patrol charged out of the camp.

xXx

Crookedstar's patrol trekked near the corner where WindClan's territory met the neutral ground of Fourtrees. Mosspaw thought back to the last Gathering. ShadowClan's leader, Raggedstar, had announced that his deputy, Cloudpelt was found dead at the Thunderpath, believed to have been hit by a monster. Mosspaw also recalled that only a moon before, Cloudpelt's predecessor, Foxheart, was killed by a band of rats. Now Raggedstar's son, Brokentail, was ShadowClan's deputy.

The fur along Mosspaw's spine twitched when she recalled the new deputy. He was massive, burly brown tabby tom with a battle-scarred pelt and a distinctive bend in his tail which obviously was his namesake. She remembered feeling threatened by his sharp yellow eyes, which seem to show a sly glint, as if he was planning something.

That deputy carried an ominous aura about him that Mosspaw couldn't ignore.

"Perhaps Mudfur was right," Willowbreeze's concerned mew jolted Mosspaw out of her thoughts, "I've seen some snow starting to fall."

"It's just a few flurries, Willowbreeze," Leopardfur grumbled, "They've never killed anybody."

A call of greeting halted the patrol. They glanced down the hollow. Mosspaw's heart thudded. Clambering up the slope was a trio of cats.

One of them was Bluestar.

"Ah, Bluestar," Crookedstar mewed, dipping his head, "Salutations."

"Hey, look," Stonepaw whispered in Mosspaw's ear, "It's Mistypaw's twin sister." Mosspaw stiffened. Stonepaw always teasingly remarked that Mistypaw was the spitting image of the ThunderClan leader.

_If only he knew why._

Bluestar nodded to Crookedstar's greeting. "Salutations. Going to Highstones, I presume?"

"That's right. I'm taking three apprentices with me."

Mosspaw felt her breath quicken as Bluestar's gaze rested on her and her littermates. She tried to keep calm under her mother's stare, but she felt herself drawn into the ThunderClan leader's gaze, and couldn't stop herself from trembling.

Silence stretched out among the two patrols for several heartbeats. Finally one of Bluestar's accomplices, the powerful warrior Tigerclaw, cleared his throat. "Bluestar."

Bluestar shook her head. "O-Oh, yes," she quickly meowed, "I am, too." She flicked her tail to Tigerclaw and young dark-gray tom with rippling, silver stripes. He crouched behind the massive tabby, who Mosspaw guessed was his mentor, and stared at the RiverClan cats with scornful eyes.

_Well, doesn't he seem friendly._

"Is it all right if we accompany you, Crookedstar?" Bluestar asked him, "We are going to the same destination, after all."

"That's fine," Crookedstar replied.

"In that case," Bluestar meowed, "We should be on our way."

xXx

The combined Highstones patrols advanced through WindClan territory. Crookedstar and Bluestar padded side-by-side at the head, Willowbreeze and Tigerclaw flanked both sides of Leopardfur, and the four apprentices trailed at the rear.

The snow fell faster from the sky. The scattered flurries were now a continuous, regular snowfall.

Mosspaw shot an awkward glance at the ThunderClan apprentice. Despite the fact that he was obviously a couple moons younger than her and her littermates, he gave them the cold shoulder, as if were a stubborn senior warrior and demanded their respect.

She felt a nudge on her right shoulder. "Well," Mistypaw's voice stirred her ear fur, "Say something. If we're going to be traveling with him, we might as well be kind."

"I think kindness is the last thing he wants from us," Mosspaw whispered back.

"Well, just try to talk to him," her sister urged.

Mosspaw looked back at the tom. She cleared her throat. "So…" she thought about what to say, "You're a ThunderClan apprentice?"

"What told you that?" the tom replied bitterly, his voice not yet deepened from adolescence.

Mosspaw flicked her tail. "And Tigerclaw is your mentor?"

"That's right," the tom's voice turned from bitter to proud, "He's amazing." Mosspaw was shocked by the emotion shining in his eyes. "And he's a better mentor than you fish-faces will ever have!"

"If I didn't know any better," Mosspaw heard Stonepaw whisper, "I'd say he's in love with Tigerclaw."

"What was that?" the tom meowed, his voice hard.

"Oh, he didn't say anything!" Mistypaw mewed quickly. Before Stonepaw could make a rebuttal the blue-gray apprentice slapped her tail across his muzzle.

"Anyway…" Mosspaw mewed, shooting one last awkward glance at Mistypaw, "What's your name?"

"What's it to you?" the tom spat.

Mosspaw glared at him. "I'm just trying to be polite."

"Well, I don't need your politeness. So just _shut up for just two heartbeats_."

"Darkpaw!" Tigerclaw snapped at the apprentice, "That's enough!"

_Darkpaw. So that's his name._

Darkpaw's eyes flashed at Tigerclaw. "But Tigerclaw, you told me never to be nice to cats from the other Clans."

Tigerclaw groaned. "I did not say that. I said that you can't be best friends with cats from other Clans. That doesn't mean you can't be polite."

Darkpaw sighed. "Yes, Tigerclaw." He flashed an indignant glare at Mosspaw. "See what you've done, _pipsqueak_?" he hissed, "You got me in trouble!"

Pipsqueak. That word stung Mosspaw. Even though she had grown, her littermates were still an ear's-length taller than her. It was obvious that Darkpaw noticed.

Suddenly, Stonepaw whipped past his sisters and came nose-to-nose with the ThunderClan apprentice. "Hey, _thorny-pelt_, you better stop making fun of my sister!"

Darkpaw met his gaze. "Going to try and make me, _fish-face_?"

With an angry yowl, Stonepaw lunged for Darkpaw. The two rolled around in a tumult, their dark-colored pelts easily visible among the quickly-packing snowdrifts.

Bluestar and Crookedstar bounded to the back of the patrol and ripped the fighting apprentices from each other. Their pelts appeared to be patched with white from their tussle in the snow.

"Stonepaw, that's enough!" Crookedstar scolded his apprentice.

"You two, Darkpaw," Bluestar snapped, "One more fight like that and you'll be cleaning the elders' bedding for a moon!"

"Now, get back in line," Crookedstar ordered, "Both of you."

With one last glare at Stonepaw, Darkpaw returned to Mosspaw's side. Stonepaw returned to Mistypaw's side. Mosspaw felt herself inching closer to her littermates. Now she really didn't want to speak with the disdainful tom.

A chill crept up her spine as she heard Darkpaw mutter under his breath, "One day, I'll get back at you, Stonepaw."

**NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: …Uh…hey, guys. Yeah, I know. The story's really, **_**really**_** late, but I can explain. Even though summer started, I had to take Driver's Ed since I turned fifteen and all. I finished the classroom part last month and just finished the driving-with-an-instructor part recently. Not to mention I've been working on other stuff for YouTube and yada-yada…I really wanted this to come out on MH's first birthday. See how that turned out? Anyway, I'll get the next chapter out ASAP, so keep your eyes peeled! **


	15. A Dark Cloud Over Her Head

Snow and ice crashed down, tumbling chaotically from the sky. The frozen precipitation coated the moorland, turning WindClan's territory to a vast, endless whiteness.

The Highstones patrol trudged through the raging blizzard. It hadn't been long since Darkpaw and Stonepaw's squabble, and the snow seemed to instantly shift from calm to insane. A chilly gust whipped Mosspaw's face, and memories of her trek through ThunderClan territory as a kit came flooding back to her.

_Is Bluestar having memories of that night, too?_

"We should go back!" Willowbreeze called over the wind, "We'll never make it in this weather!"

"Where?" Tigerclaw spat, "I can't see my nose in front my own face!"

"Just remain calm, everyone!" Crookedstar called, "And stay together!"

"If we keep going straight, we should come to the Thunderpath!" Bluestar yowled, "We can take shelter in a ditch by it!"

"What good would that do?" Leopardfur spat, "It's probably filled up with snow by now!"

Mosspaw's heart thumped in her chest. Her littermates clustered next to her, creating a ball of gray, bluish, and white fur. Darkpaw trudged not far behind them, the wind stirring his striped pelt.

This journey felt as arduous as her last frozen adventure in leaf-bare. Would the weather overcome her compact frame and nearly kill her, as it did those moons ago?

_Are we all going to freeze to death?_

Suddenly, out of the blue –or white, rather- Mosspaw could barely pick up a very faint voice. "Did you hear that?" she called.

The rest of the patrol strained their ears as the voice continued and progressively got louder.

"Hey! Hey, you all! Over here!"

"Is someone out there?" Crookedstar called at the top of his lungs.

"Yes! Can you hear me?"

"We can!" Bluestar yowled, "Can you help us?"

"Yes, I can! Stay right there! I'll come to you!"

Eventually, a feline figure appeared out of the whiteness. However, the storm was so thick that Mosspaw could only make out black markings.

"Are you all right?" The cat, who sounded like a tom, called to them.

"Half-frozen, but alive!" Willowbreeze, who clung desperately to Crookedstar, replied.

"Follow me!" the tom told them, "There's food and shelter in my barn! You'll be safe there!"

"Thank you!" Bluestar yowled, "Lead the way!"

Their eyes locked on their savior's dark patches, the patrol followed the young tom through the ruthless blizzard.

xXx

After what seemed like nine lifetimes of trudging, the patrol and their rescuer arrived at what appeared to be a massive, red Twoleg nest.

_So that's what a barn is._

The young tom pushed on a part of the barn's wall with his shoulder. Amazingly, it swung open enough for a cat to squeeze through.

"Come on, then!" he called. On his meow, the patrol followed him into the barn.

Once inside, the cats shook the snow off their pelts. Now Mosspaw could get a good look at the tom that saved them. He was short-limbed, slightly-plump, and black-and-white.

"_Brrr!_" the tom rumbled, shaking the snow off his whiskers, "You're all lucky I came. It's pretty nasty out there." He turned to the Clan cats. "So, what brings you all out into this frozen deathtrap?"

"We're traveling," Bluestar answered him.

"Oh, are you a nomadic group?"

"Not exactly," Crookedstar explained, "We're going somewhere, but we'll be returning home after that."

"I see. Is someone waiting for you?"

"I suppose you could say that," Bluestar meowed.

The tom flicked his tail. "Well, I'm sure they can wait a little longer for you. At least until this storm dies down. In the meantime, make yourselves at home. There are more than enough mice in those haystacks," he was indicating several large heaps of dead, yellow grass, "They come here to escape the cold. I'm sure I could spare a couple dozen if you're hungry."

"And who, exactly, do we have the pleasure of addressing?" Tigerclaw asked him, his voice hard.

The tom met his gaze with a calm expression. "My name is Barley. And, before you ask, yes, I live here. And, yes, I live alone."

"So you're a loner," Tigerclaw rumbled, "Why do you want to help us so badly?" Mosspaw could easily pick out the cold glint of accusation in his eyes.

Surprisingly, Barley stared directly into the fierce warrior's eyes, his tone and posture still relaxed. "Because it was the right thing to do. I would never leave any cat in a snowstorm if I could help them. Would you rather me leave you out there to freeze to death?" Mosspaw couldn't help but feel impressed by the loner's resilience.

"Don't get smart with me!" Tigerclaw spat.

"Tigerclaw!" Bluestar hissed, "This cat has done a great good, and your way of thanking him is by scowling at him. If you have nothing good to say, then I suggest you keep your muzzle shut." She faced the loner. "I apologize for my warrior, Barley. Sometimes his claws are too sharp for his mind. But that aside, we can't thank you enough for what you've done."

Barley let out a slight chuckle. "It's all right. I'm happy to help. I'll be up in the rafters," he pointed with his tail to the long, rectangular branches on the barn's ceiling. "Just yowl if you need anything."

He started to turn away, but Mosspaw bounded up to him. "Excuse me," she mewed.

He turned to her. "Yes?"

"Well…I just wanted to say that I'm impressed. How you stood up to Tigerclaw like that. I've never seen a cat so calm."

Barley flicked an ear-tip. "You mean the tabby? Oh, he was nothing. I've dealt with far fiercer cats." His gaze darkened. "Trust me." And with that, he bounded off.

Suddenly, Mosspaw entered a vision.

A huge crowd a cats surrounded every corner of her sight. Their eyes were wild and their frames were scrawny. They were spread out in a prickly circle.

In the middle stood four cats. One of them was Barley, two of them were identical gray toms, and the fourth was a battered and bleeding she-cat, her pretty pale-orange tabby coat streaked scarlet.

"_Finish her_," a scathing, high-pitched voice scraped Mosspaw's ears.

"Snake! Ice!" Barley called, his eyes bright with fear, "Don't do it! She's our sister!"

"She's no longer our sister," one of the gray toms hissed, "and you are no longer our brother, Barley. We would never be kin to such spineless traitors."

"It's not her fault! It was my idea to leave!" Barley screamed, "I'm the one you want! Kill me instead!"

That high-pitched voice returned. Mosspaw tried to find its source, but she couldn't find it in the swath of cats. "Oh, we know. You see, this is your punishment, Barley. You will be tortured by watching your precious sister die in front of you."

"_No!_" Barley cried.

The vision ended.

_I haven't had one of those in a while._

Mosspaw realized that by "fiercer cats", Barley meant his ruthless brothers, or the cat who ordered their sister's execution.

"Hey, Mosspaw!" Mistypaw called to her. The blue-gray she-cat was standing near one of the haystacks. "Stonepaw found a space behind this haystack. We can hang around here. You coming?"

"Yeah!" Mosspaw called back, and follow her sister behind the haystack.

xXx

Night had fallen. The snow continued to fall but was no longer that of a storm. Still, the Clan cats had remained in Barley's barn. They figured that they wouldn't get to Highstones by moonhigh, and the generous loner refused to let them travel in the dark.

Barley was dozing up in the rafters. The Clan cats below, too, were having an easygoing break from traveling.

Crookedstar shared tongues with Willowbreeze. Bluestar sat by a square-shaped gap in the wall, staring out into the night. Tigerclaw was hunting in a haystack. Leopardfur stopped washing to watch him, her eyes resting curiously on the ThunderClan warrior's waggling haunches.

Mistypaw, Stonepaw, and Mosspaw chatted behind the haystack. Mosspaw gave her chest fur a couple of licks. The litter hadn't been this laid-back since their nursery days.

Mistypaw let out a sigh and leaned backward. Her back rested on the side of the haystack, and her legs lay sprawled out in front of her.

Stonepaw's whiskers twitched. "You look ridiculous," he snickered.

Mistypaw flashed him a look. "What? It's nice."

"Yeah, right."

"It is! It's perfect for an itch on your back."

"Yeah, and I'm sure by the end of all that scratching your pelt would be half-yellow."

"So that's where all the noise was coming from!"

The three cats looked up. Peering over the top of the haystack was Darkpaw.

_Oh, great._

"Look what the fox dragged in," Mistypaw muttered.

The ThunderClan apprentice jumped down to a ledge in the hay and stood two tail-lengths above the RiverClan apprentices.

Stonepaw glared up at him. "What do you want, Darkpaw?"

"Oh, nothing," the silver-striped tom replied, "It's just that I was _trying_ to get some sleep, but _some cats_ kept chattering like sparrows." With a knowing glance at the other apprentices, he added, "Wonder who?"

Mosspaw met his gaze. "Listen, Darkpaw. We're kind of busy enjoying ourselves right now. So if you just dropped by to swap insults-"

"Who, me?" Darkpaw interrupted, his voice innocent, "Oh, no, no, no. Of course not!"

The three other cats just glared up at him, unconvinced.

"Okay, listen." Darkpaw jumped down from his perch. "I suppose we got off on the wrong paw. So, I want to make it up to you."

"How?" Stonepaw asked sharply.

"Well, I can't get to sleep, thanks to you," Darkpaw began, "so I got to check some things out. I was climbing up those rafter-things, and found an opening in the barn's upper wall. I got closer, and the smell of prey hit me like a blow to the nose. I was going to check it out, and I was wondering if you wanted to see it, too."

"Sorry, but we're fine down here," Stonepaw replied for his sisters.

"What's the matter, _Slug_paw?" Darkpaw taunted, "You scared of prey?"  
>"I'm not scared, <em>Dirt<em>paw! Stonepaw retorted.

"Then prove it!"

"Fine!"

Darkpaw's gaze left Stonepaw. "Anyone else?"

There was a silence, and then Mistypaw stepped forward. "You promise you'll leave us alone after this?"

Darkpaw's eyes narrowed. "Of course."

"Then I'll come."

Darkpaw's sharp eyes met Mosspaw's. "What about you?"

Mosspaw glowered at him. This time, she wouldn't be so polite. "Me? No way! I'm perfectly fine right here. I don't need to take an adventure several tree-lengths in the air. You can go jump into a fiery pit of doom, for all I care, Darkpaw, but I'm staying put." To prove her answer, she straightened her back and rooted her soft-furred paws to the ground.

"Well, I'll be," Darkpaw rumbled, "You may not be afraid, Stonepaw, but your half-pint of a sister certainly is!"

_Don't call me "half-pint", you snake-heart!_

"I'm not afraid," Mosspaw retorted, "I'm just being cautious."

"Oh, what's the difference?"

"There's being afraid," Mosspaw began, "and there's being cautious. Being afraid is having a fear of something. Being cautious is being alert for possible dangers and doing your best to avoid them. What part of 'several tree-lengths in the air' don't you understand? I don't want do fall down and –oh, I don't know- snap my neck!"

"You don't want to get hurt," Darkpaw meowed, "So you _fear_ getting hurt. So you're _afraid_."

"Darkpaw, will you just drop it?" Mistypaw hissed, "If she doesn't want to come, she doesn't want to come. End of story."

_Thank you, Mistypaw._

"Fine," Darkpaw muttered, "Let's just go."

With that, the three apprentices bounded up the haystack, leaving Mosspaw to herself.

For a heartbeat, the gray-and-white she-cat couldn't believe that her littermates could even conceive doing something with Darkpaw. Then again, Darkpaw had promised to leave them alone, and that's just what Stonepaw's and Mistypaw's, more so Stonepaw's, short fuses asked for.

Mosspaw stretched out on her belly. She might as well take this time to get a little shut-eye. Mistypaw and Stonepaw would be back from their little escapade with Darkpaw, and the Clan cats would be leaving for Highstones come morning.

Then, before Mosspaw could slip into slumber, the words of Mapleshade echoed in her mind.

_"You will lose all the cats you care for. One by one, they will fall dead at your paws, and there's nothing that you can do about it." _

She remembered what she had said to Darkpaw. How she wanted to avoid climbing up the rafters because she didn't want to take the chance of falling and fatally injuring herself.

Then her mind flew with the image of Stonepaw and Mistypaw falling to their deaths.

_What if they slip off the rafters and fall? They'd surely die. I can't afford to lose them both in one moment. I swore I would protect them, and I'm keeping that promise. I have to be there to make sure they don't get hurt._

She stood back up. As much as she hated taking the chances and seeing the satisfied face of Darkpaw, she knew she had to protect her brother and sister.

"Wait!" she called up to them, "I'm coming!"

xXx

"Well, look who decided to have to some courage." Darkpaw was smirking at Mosspaw, who climbed to the top of the haystack.

Mosspaw's gray tail flicked. "I came to make sure none of you do anything stupid."

"Oh, I see," Darkpaw scoffed, "Decided to make yourself the noble guardian, did you? All right then, Moss_star_, jump up." He pointed with his tail to the rafter about two tail-lengths above their heads.

_I'm not sure I could make that._

"Well," Darkpaw meowed impatiently, "what are you waiting for, fearless leader?"

"Lay _off_," Stonepaw spat, "If she can't, she ca-"

"No," Mosspaw interrupted him. She wanted to show Darkpaw that she wasn't an incapable runt. "I can do it."

Bunching her leg muscles, she leaped, her claws outstretched. Her heart flooded with triumph when she felt them sink into the wood.

_Take that, Darkpaw!_

Then, she started to slip.

Panic filled her. She tried her best to tighten her grip on the wood. Her claws left scars in the surface as her weight dragged her down. Her hind legs flailed as she tried to grab a hold onto the rafter with her back claws.

"Hold on, Mosspaw!" she heard Stonepaw yowl.

She felt her brother push up onto her hind paws with his wide shoulders. Using the combined strength of her and her and Stonepaw, she ungracefully pulled herself up onto the rafter.

Her heart sank. She made it onto the rafter, but she needed her brother's help.

"You call that a climb?" Darkpaw sneered, "Robinwing's kits could climb onto that thing better than you."

Mosspaw scowled at him. Didn't he know the definition of the word pleasant?

Mistypaw gave the ThunderClan apprentice a purposefully-forceful nudge. "Well then, O-Perfect-One, why don't you get up there?"

Darkpaw flashed an interesting look at the blue-gray she-cat. "Whatever the she-cat wants." He crouched, his tail flicking, and jumped. He gripped the rafter with his claws, and after a few heartbeats of scrabbling, he was balanced onto the rafter.

_Don't let it go to your head. Just because he's a better climber than you doesn't mean he's a better cat than you. He's a ThunderClan cat. Of course he'd be a better climber._

Still, she couldn't help but feel inferior. Even compared to her littermates, she felt inferior. As the litter physically matured, her brother and sister had grown decent features. Stonepaw had grown wide shoulders and a muscular build. Mistypaw's coat had become glossy, her eyes shone with a glimmering icy-blue, and she herself had become attractive. Mosspaw…she was just…average. Plus, she was still the smallest.

Even when they were at near-warrior-age, she was still the runt of the litter.

She hadn't even noticed her littermates scramble onto the rafter.

"All right, Darkpaw," Stonepaw grumbled, "Let's get this over with so we can got off this thing and you can leave us alone."

Mosspaw trudged at the back of the line. Her eyes were locked on her paws. She startled by the gentle touch of Mistypaw's tail. "Don't let Darkpaw get under your fur," Mistypaw murmured, "He's just a cheeky nuisance."

Mosspaw said nothing.

"Tell you what," her sister continued, winking at her, "We're sure to meet him in battle, one day. When that happens, I'll go up to him and claw that smirk right off his arrogant face. How's that sound?"

"It's not Darkpaw," Mosspaw sighed.

Mistypaw's eyes flashed with concern. "Then, what is it?"

Mosspaw opened her mouth but no words came out. How could she tell Mistypaw what was on her mind? She might be offended. "I…"

"Hey!" Darkpaw's impatient mew cut her off, "Are you two coming, or not?"

"Yes, we're coming," Mosspaw answered dejectedly. When she felt Mistypaw staring at her, she mewed. "It's nothing. I guess it _is_ Darkpaw's bad attitude. I'm fine. Come on, Mistypaw."

xXx

The four apprentices came to a triangular-shaped opening the barn's wall. Just as Darkpaw said, Mosspaw could easily pick up the scent of prey.

Mistypaw sniffed. "Smells like a mix of bird and Twoleg," she remarked.

"It's probably because Twolegs live so near here," Darkpaw muttered. He looked back at them. "So, you three hungry?"

"Wait," Stonepaw meowed, "Are you asking us to _eat_ these birds?"

"No, Stonepaw, I'm asking you to share tongueswith them," Darkpaw replied sarcastically, "Come on, RiverClan cats eat birds, too, don't they? Like, water birds?"

"Very rarely," Mistypaw answered.

"So there's no reason to be so hesitant."

"But it's not our prey," Mosspaw protested.

"So?" Darkpaw replied indignantly, "Fatso over there let us take his mice."

_Well, he's not _that_ fat._

"And just his mice," Mosspaw pressed, "He said nothing about these birds. I think we should go."

Mosspaw stiffened as Darkpaw pushed his muzzle into her face. "Are you sure your name isn't 'Worrywart' or 'Killjoy'? Because that's exactly what you are. I don't know why I bothered to ask if you wanted to come. You've done nothing but be a deadweight. Yeah, that's it, Mosspaw! You're not an apprentice, you're a _deadweight_! Completely and utterly _useless_! If you want to be a burden, do it somewhere else!"

If cats could physically shed tears, that's exactly what Mosspaw would do. She had never heard such harsh words from any cat before. Her entire body smarted from his comment.

Mistypaw and Stonepaw stepped forward. Mosspaw had never seen them so enraged.

"How _dare_ you?" Mistypaw snarled.

"You are _impossible_!" Stonepaw spat, "You insulted her before, but this…this is outrageous!"

"But what good has she done?" Darkpaw retorted, "First, she doesn't leave me alone when I ask her to. Second, she completely turns down my offer to actually do something with you three. But then she decides to be brave and keep an eye on you two, when she can't even jump up to a rafter. Third, and most importantly, she tries to ruin our fun because she's too timid to actually have a little excitement."

"Shut up!" Stonepaw hissed.

"Mosspaw was just trying to kind and friendly with you that first time," Mistypaw insisted, "And she was only looking out for us. She's the calm, inquisitive, down-to-earth one. She's not trying to being a killjoy; she's trying to be a loyal littermate and friend!"

"Something you, Darkpaw," Stonepaw added, "seem to be anything but!"

Darkpaw's eyes went wild and voice turned into a screech. "She's…not…better than me! I'm great! I'm strong! I'm the kind of cat to proud of! She's weak and timid and no fun!"

To make matters worse, the taunting voice Mapleshade echoed in her ears.

_"Hurts to be insulted, right, sweetie?"_

Mosspaw couldn't take any more of this.

"Shut _up_!" she yowled, "Just _shut up_ and _leave me alone_!" She bolted out of the opening and out into the barn. She knew the other cats had heard her, including Barley, but she didn't care. She wanted to escape Mapleshade and Darkpaw and every single insult she heard from those two.

_Curse…_

_Mistake…_

_Pipsqueak…_

_Half-pint…_

_Worrywart…_

_Killjoy…_

_ Deadweight…_

_ Useless…_

_ Weak…_

_ Timid…_

_ No fun…_

She just wanted to crawl somewhere and die. Or at least go someplace where she could deafen herself from insults.

She looked down. The haystack below would have to do. Not bothering to look, she jumped. Her body instantly collapsed into a sobbing heap, her face pushed into the grass-like shreds, as she hit the prickly hay.

Was Darkpaw right? Was she really useless deadweight? Was she really strong enough to become Clan leader one day?

"Mosspaw?"

"Leave me alone!" she hissed, without even bothering to wonder who was talking to her.

"It's all right, little warrior. You can talk to me."

That voice. Now she knew.

She looked up. Looking down at her were the brilliant, icy-colored eyes of Bluestar.

"What's wrong?" her voice didn't contain the heartening tone of a mother, but the gentle tone of a mentor comforting a discouraged apprentice.

How could she tell her what happened without sounding like a tattletale? No, how could she tell her at all? Why would she be so interested in her feelings?

_She's my mother, and she knows it. That's why. _

Taking a deep breath, Mosspaw began her explanation. "Well…" her voice was choked, but she couldn't tell if it was out of sadness or nervousness, "Tigerclaw's apprentice," she decided not to call Darkpaw by name, "hasn't been the nicest cat. He's been difficult with my littermates and I, but…well, mostly me. He called me useless, a killjoy, a deadweight…" her voice trailed off.

"And this bothers you," Bluestar finished for her, "because you are the smallest of your litter and you want to prove yourself to not only your littermates, but the whole Clans. The words that he said to you discourage you because it suppresses the fire of your ambition with doubt that you cannot escape."

Mosspaw stared at her. How did she know?

"I, too," Bluestar continued, "have gone through similar judgement. A cat, one of my Clanmates, despised me and called my soft, because, unlike him, I didn't jump into battle at the twitch of a nose. He wanted to become leader, to outrank me and rip through every Clan until he turned ThunderClan infamous. But I prevailed, and became leader instead of him."

_She's talking about Thistleclaw!_

Bluestar leaned forward. Mosspaw longed to touch noses with the ThunderClan leader, but she remained still. "Don't let hardships get in the way of your ambition, because jibes and insults can't stop you from reaching your goal. The only thing that can stop you from reaching your goal," she finished, "is you."

Before Mosspaw could reply, Bluestar turned away, jumped off of the haystack, and returned to her square-shaped perch.

Mosspaw couldn't believe it. Had Bluestar, her forever-elusive mother, given her an encouragement speech?

"Mosspaw!"

Mosspaw looked up. Mistypaw and Stonepaw were perched on the rafter above. They jumped downward and landed next to her.

"Are you okay?" Mistypaw asked.

"Yeah…" Mosspaw replied, trying to sound happier. Bluestar's short talk with her had strengthened her. "I'll be okay."

"I can't believe the thinks that snake-heart said to you," Stonepaw meowed, scowling, "You shouldn't listen to him. He's completely wrong."

"Thanks," Mosspaw gratefully mewed.

The two gray cats settled down next to their sister. Mosspaw felt relief as she felt their pelts brush hers. She received comfort from their presence, and for a heartbeat, she felt like they were tiny kits once more, huddling together against the leaf-bare chill against Bluestar's pelt.

Mosspaw felt better. She would always have her littermates, and they would always have her.


End file.
